The Ranked Carving Knife

"This ray has a paralysis effect, so its real name ought to be Paralysis Ray. Those ranked Soul King and below should be affected after being hit by the ray. How much it affects the soul master is dependant on the individual's cultivation."

"We've already tested it. When used on a Soul King, this Paralysis Ray is so effective that it can numb them for a second. This is on the precondition that the ray must hit a defenceless Soul King who is not protected by soul skills or soul tools. When used on a Soul Ancestor, the ray can numb them for more than two seconds, with the same precondition as before. Moreover, it can numb a soul master with three soul rings of the same rank for at least three to four seconds."

"Honoured guests, please note that we tested the ray on assault-type soul masters. The effects will definitely be different when used on other types of soul masters."

"The requirement to use this Paralysis Ray is low, but it's extremely practical. It's a quality product amongst Class 3 soul tools. The starting bid is a thousand golden soul coins, with every increase not being lower than fifty golden soul coins. The bid starts now!"

Someone immediately raised their auction board when Qing Ya finished talking. "One thousand three hundred golden soul coins."

Just as Auctioneer Qing Ya said, it was very rare to see a Class 6 master making a Class 3 soul tool. One shouldn't look down on the fact that this soul tool wasn't of a high class because it was extremely practical. Soul Ancestors would find it quite useful. In addition to that, the low requirement for using this tool was its biggest asset.

As a result of that, the auction price for such items was always on the high side. Soon, the price shot past the two thousand golden soul coins mark.

One had to know that the materials used to make this soul tool weren't very outstanding other than its ingenious design and the elaborate manufacturing of the formation arrays. It was a Class 3 soul tool after all. It was a relatively high price to pay for a soul tool of said class. Normal Class 3 soul tools would go for hundreds of golden soul coins only.

Just as expected, the bidding paused after it passed the two thousand mark. A few of those fighting to bid at the start were hesitating now. This was because everyone had limited amounts of money in their hands. Moreover, this was only the first auction item.

"Two thousand five hundred golden soul coins." At this moment, Wang Yan suddenly raised the board in his hand.

Auctioneer Qing Ya's eyes shone, and she smiled sweetly at Wang Yan, who was wearing a mask. "Honoured guest number 166 has bid two thousand five hundred golden soul coins. Is anyone going to go higher?"

The Auctioneer's source of income came through commissions from selling auction items. For example, if an item that cost one hundred golden soul coins was sold for two hundred, the auction house would deduct 10% from the total sum as their cut. Auctioneers would get 0.1% of the amount above the cost of the auction item.

One shouldn't look down on such a small value of 0.1%. It was very normal for a Class 4 auction to exceed a hundred thousand golden soul coins in profit at the end of the day. Since this was Star Luo City, and even the largest auction in the whole Star Luo Empire, they practically had to organise countless auctions every day. A few high level auctioneers usually only appeared once a month, but could earn a lot through commissions.

As a result of that, when Qing Ya saw Wang Yan add five hundred to the bid, her heart naturally leapt with joy. As a purple-ranked auctioneer, she understood very clearly that the first price reached in the auction would often determine the direction of prices in the whole auction. Even though this first item wasn't very expensive, it would definitely be a good start if the premium was sufficiently high enough.

Once the bid for two thousand five hundred was made, the audience fell silent. The competitors who were still hesitating just a moment ago no longer pondered the matter any further. This price was clearly far more than they could afford.

"Two thousand five hundred golden soul coins, going once." After Qing Ya questioned the audience a few more times and didn't get a response, she started the closing call for the bid.

This moment was when a first-rate auction revealed its aura. A normal small auction would delay the closing call of the bid for as long as they could, but Qing Ya showed no sign of doing so.

Bang! Down fell the hammer on the table. "Deal. The Paralysis Ray is sold to guest number 166. Thank you for your generosity." Qing Ya shot Wang Yan another sweet smile, to which he responded with a light nod.

"Who's going to use this soul tool?" Wang Yan turned his head and asked his group.

He Caitou was the first to interject. "Teacher Wang, give this Paralysis Ray to junior brother. The effect of this soul tool is very rare. I reckon the manufacturer of this formation array has concealed something within it which is very difficult to emulate. Even though junior brother hasn't cultivated three soul rings, his soul power has already reached Rank 27. He might find it difficult to use it, but he can still use it before he reaches Rank 40. "

Hearing him say this, the others naturally shut their mouths. In reality, the person most suited to using the Paralysis Ray ought to be Xiao Xiao. This was because she was closer to Rank 30 than Huo Yuhao was, and would breakthrough at any time.

However, it was clear that He Caitou had his reasons for saying this. Relatively speaking, this Paralysis Ray was even more suited to Huo Yuhao's fighting style.

Huo Yuhao never thought that he'd actually get the first auction item as a reserve soul engineer.

As the auction continued, there were really many good items for specialising in soul tools. The overwhelming majority of soul tools were from Class 3 to Class 5. Wang Yan continuously bid for the items, and purchased more than ten soul tools, distributing them to everyone.

"The following is the second to last item for today. After this item is auctioned off, we'll come to our grand finale. I believe the audience will definitely be pleasantly surprised."

The young girl wheeled out the penultimate auction item for the day. From the shape of the cloak and how it was practically sticking to the trolley, one could see that this item wasn't big.

Qing Ya walked to the front of the cart with a sound amplification soul tool in her hand. She smiled and said, "I'm sure everyone seated in the audience who's done in-depth research into soul tools will definitely be very familiar with this item. It also often appears in soul tool auctions as well. It has an amusing name – Milk's Bottle."

She lifted the fabric off the item as she spoke, simultaneously taking the auction item from the cart.

The item was a silver necklace, and on it hung a metal pendant in the shape of a milk bottle, about the size of a grown person's thumb.

He Caitou's eyes shone as he whispered to Huo Yuhao. "Junior brother, this is what I was telling you about. You need this the most now. Looking at the type of Milk Bottle she's holding, it looks like a Class 4 soul tool."

Huo Yuhao had a wave of misgivings in his heart, while simultaneously feeling ashamed. He'd learned how to make soul tools for almost a year, but there were still many things he didn't know within the realms of soul tools.

Auctioneer Qing Ya smiled and said, "As the name implies, a milk bottle is naturally used to drink milk. However, to either a soul engineer or a soul master, their milk bottle is used to replenish their soul power. Naturally, I have to mention that breastfeeding is still the best."

The audience immediately erupted in laughter after hearing this joke, and even Qing Ya herself was laughing. The mountains on her chests were somewhat fitting to the breastfeeding she was talking about.

"Back to the topic at hand, the scientific name of this milk bottle ought to be energy restoration soul tool. Both soul masters and soul engineers can use this item. The milk bottle can be a soul tool of any class, but only soul masters rank 3 and above can make it have a given effect. It's very common amongst soul tools, but a high-class Milk Bottle is extremely expensive. I remember seeing a Class 7 Milk Bottle appear once in our first-rate Starlight Auction. It really caused a commotion at the time. In the end, a deal was made for seven million golden soul coins, setting a new record for all Milk Bottles."

"Naturally, the milk bottle is used to replenish soul power, regardless of their respective rank. One only has to fill it with soul power before using it for it to work. This soul tool has its limitations as well. When using it, one has to stop and absorb the soul power with all their mind and soul. If one does not focus, they will fail to guide the soul power into their body. As such, I have to warn the audience in every auction not to use the milk bottle in battle. Alright, I believe that the audience understands the milk bottle very well. I won't blather on any longer. The starting bid is six thousand golden soul coins, with every increasing bid not lower than a hundred golden soul coins."

When Qing Ya proclaimed that the bid for the Milk Bottle was open, He Caitou also explained its characteristics in far greater detail to Huo Yuhao.

"Yuhao, this soul tool is the most complicated soul tool in its class in terms of its make, and also has the highest material requirements. The reason for that is because it has to store a huge amount of soul power. In addition to that, the Milk Bottle can't let the soul power leak out at the same time, nor can it compress soul power till it causes an explosion. As such, the requirements for the formation arrays and materials in manufacturing a Milk Bottle are extremely high. There is only one criterion for successfully making a Milk Bottle, and that is stability. After the Milk Bottle is filled with soul power, it must be stable. If not, it'll turn into a bomb that can explode at any time."

"This auctioneer's warning is very accurate. Generally speaking, one definitely can't use the Milk Bottle while in battle. This is because when the soul master is absorbing the soul force from the Milk Bottle, a lot of soul power will be released. In the process of receiving soul power from the Milk Bottle, the soul master's body will definitely be deadlocked. This would be extremely fatal for a soul master in battle. Moreover, there are times when it's very difficult to control the Milk Bottle. It will normally absorb all of a soul master's soul power, or fill a person's soul power to the brim."

"A high level Milk Bottle is expensive because it's very demanding in terms of the materials it needs. It's also far too troublesome to make one. The difficulty of making a Class 7 Milk Bottle can even surpass that of a normal Class 8 soul tool. At the very least, a Class 8 soul tool master is needed to make it. Even I can only make a Class 3 Milk Bottle at this point. That in itself doesn't mean anything, but it takes too long to make it. I only tried making one once, and wouldn't do it again!"

"Yuhao, things are different with you because your innate ability is spirit-based. Your spiritual power is powerful enough to be extremely effective in controlling the Milk Bottle. That way, it's more convenient for you to control how much soul power you absorb."

"Furthermore, you're a control-type soul master. During a team fight, you can stay behind the team the whole time and recover your soul power using the Milk Bottle. However, you might encounter a situation where you receive too much soul power while using this Class 4 Milk Bottle. Will your body be able to endure it? After all, it'll be a huge surge of soul power."

Huo Yuhao's heart trembled and he immediately responded, "That won't be a problem." A Class 4 Milk Bottle wasn't something to be taken lightly but he still had his fusion partner! When he and Wang Dong fought with each other, they could produce Haodong Power in their bodies. And if they were to use this Milk Bottle after releasing the Golden Road, wouldn't that immediately replenish their depleted soul energy? This Milk Bottle was truly a good replenishing soul tool for them.

As the two of them were talking, the price of the Class 4 Milk Bottle had already reached eleven thousand gold soul coins.

One would never have to worry about selling a Milk Bottle during an auction; this was true regardless of what class the Milk Bottle was. This was because it was simply too practical. It could even be said to be essential for a high-ranking soul engineer. And now, even soul masters were very willing to use them. Although a Milk Bottle would appear at practically every single auction, the difficulty involved in its creation made it so that its supply would never catch up to demand. Naturally, its price would increase more and more as time went on, to the extent that Milk Bottles were now one of the most demanded soul tools on the market.

Wang Yan was just able to listen into their conversation when He Caitou had spoken earlier. As they chatted with each other, Huo Yuhao subconsciously glanced at Wang Yan, who nodded back at him.

Earlier, Wang Yan had already spent nearly seventy thousand gold soul coins. This wasn't a small number. Nobody knew how much money the academy had allowed him to take along with him.

Bei Bei whispered, "Teacher Wang, do you have enough money? If you don't, I have some too. This Milk Bottle is quite good, and all of us can use it. Also, it isn't as if we can't use it at all during a fight."

Wang Yan smiled. "Don't worry, I don't really have to spend any money. I have the credit certificate that the academy issued. No matter how much money we spend, the academy will naturally settle the bill for us."

Bei Bei's eyes lit up, "The academy actually issued a credit certificate for us?"

A credit certificate wasn't money, but a guarantee that was based off trust that could be used to claim money from an organisation. Naturally, only credit issued by pinnacle existences would be effective and held in high regard. For example, the imperial families of the various academies and top-ranked academies. Only pinnacle existences like these would issue credit certificates with no limits on them. Undoubtedly, Shrek Academy was one of these existences.

The fact that Shrek Academy had given them a credit certificate for their trip this time around signified the absolute trust the academy had in them. This was because the credit certificate they possessed had no upper limit on it; this meant that the academy would have to foot the bill no matter what they bought. The Starlight Auction would just have to settle its payments with Shrek Academy to complete its transactions.

"Twenty thousand." Wang Yan placed a bid, once again using a high bid to crush the spirits of the other participants in the hall.

Wang Yan had made his move many a time earlier, and he had crushed everyone else using pure wealth practically every single time. Because of this, the others weren't willing to let prices reach excessively high levels. Once he made a move, a large majority of the other bidders immediately dropped out of the bidding.

Naturally, there were some people who were feeling unresigned. After all, this Class 4 Milk Bottle had a true price of twenty thousand gold soul coins or so.

"Twenty-one thousand." A low voice rang out from the back.

Wang Yan replied with an unflinching face, "Twenty-five thousand."

At this moment, the entire hall quieted down again.

After this round of bidding, Qing Ya's gaze toward Wang Yan started to change from a regular, professional one to a more intense one. After all, nobody wouldn't like a person with money. Moreover, Wang Yan's voice wasn't too loud. Although he wore a mask, the aura of a scholar still leaked out from him.

"Twenty-five thousand going once, twenty-five thousand going twice, twenty-five thousand going thrice. Done!"

Qing Ya's hammering speed was extraordinarily quick, as if she wanted to leave a good impression on Wang Yan. They had obtained the Milk Bottle.

This time around, Huo Yuhao was somewhat excited. He was truly curious about this soul tool that could replenish his soul power.

After pushing the cart down the stage, Qing Ya walked to the very front of the auction stage. Her charming face was now slightly flushed, and she said in a much quieter voice, "Distinguished guests, our mystery gift is about to take the stage. This is also the final item we are auctioning tonight. This wasn't supposed to appear here originally, but with the permission of our chief auctioneer, we have decided to reveal this item to thank our various distinguished guests for supporting our Starlight Auction. Although it is extremely valuable, I trust that every single person here will be able to tell its true worth. Now, I would like our ceremonial lady to push our mystery gift onto the stage."

A push cart once again ascended the stage from the side. Unlike the previous items, this push cart wasn't just bigger; the cloth on it was actually changed to a conspicuous red one.

All matters conducted within the Starlight Auction were differentiated by color, with gold being the most honorable color. After that would be red, the color of a hundred thousand year soul ring.

From this, it could be seen that this mystery gift was extremely extraordinary.

It was quickly pushed to the centre of the stage, beside Qing Ya.

From the general outline of the cloth covering it, this item didn't look too small.

Huo Yuhao squinted his eyes, quietly releasing his Spiritual Detection. After obtaining Imitation, his Spiritual Detection had become even more covert. As long as he willed it, he could completely conceal all of his soul rings so they would not appear during the activation of any of his soul skills.

However, as Huo Yuhao quietly swept his spiritual power across the red cloth and the item within it, his body suddenly trembled violently. He quickly covered his eyes with his hands, and his entire body started to spasm.

He Caitou and Bei Bei were both startled, and the two both blurted out in unison, "Yuhao, what's happened to you?"

Huo Yuhao paused for a few seconds before coming back to his senses. When he pulled his hands down, however, He Caitou and Bei Bei could clearly see the glint in his eyes.

"What a sharp feeling."

When he had scanned the red cloth using his Spiritual Detection to find out what the item inside was, he had felt an indescribable sense of sharpness. That sharpness had instantly torn through his Spiritual Detection, going so far as to pierce through even his spiritual origin. This had scared Huo Yuhao to the point where he had quickly cancelled his soul skill. Although this was the case, his soul skills were still channelled through his Spirit Eyes. As a result, they were still greatly irritated, to the point where tears started flowing from his eyes.

Qing Ya had already started her introduction on the stage of the 12th Hall.

"Everyone here must really want to know what our mystery gift is. It's getting late already, and Qing Ya doesn't want to spoil the climax. This mystery gift is very ordinary, but it's also a soul engineer's most inseparable friend; every soul engineer must have one of these. However, the last item we're auctioning is completely different. It isn't a soul tool–which is why I said that it shouldn't have been here in the first place. However, it's too closely related to a soul engineer. Before I remove this cloth, let me say one last thing: this item's rarity and value is enough for it to be auctioned off in one of our Starlight Auction's top-ranked auctions. Everyone, please take a look."

Everyone's gazes were drawn towards the stage the moment Qing Ya lifted the cloth from the cart. However, the dazzling or exceptionally brilliant item that they were expecting didn't appear. What appeared in its place was an item that couldn't be any more ordinary. It was just as Qing Ya had said–this was an item that any soul engineer would be familiar with, as well as something they couldn't go without.

The reason behind the tall cloth covering the cart wasn't due to the size of the item itself. Instead, it was because the item was placed on a showcase, and the mass covered by the cloth was naturally the showcase itself. The item itself was very small, around half a foot long or so, and was as thick as a finger. It seemed to grow narrower and narrower from the bottom to the top, and the very top of the item was an extremely sharp-pointed tip. On the other hand, its bottom was a half-inch wide blade. It had a simple, dark look to it, and faintly discernible carvings could be seen on it. They emitted a faintly ancient, yet gloomy aura.

A large number of participants let out dissatisfied sighs. Clearly, they didn't think that this mystery gift had surprised them at all. However, the pupils of a small number of people were rapidly contracting. The appearance of this item had astonished them.

A carving knife. Right, this was a carving knife that a soul engineer could use to carve a core formation. Both ends of a carving knife were useful to a soul engineer, who could use them differently while carving different core formations. Soul engineers couldn't lack a carving knife; this was a basic requirement to carve a soul tool.

Huo Yuhao also had a carving knife, given to him by Fan Yu. It was a relatively decent carving knife, made out of a hard metal that made it sharp, sturdy, and stable. It was very suitable for him to use it. Fan Yu had also told him that he would help him find another, more outstanding carving knife after he became a Class 4 soul engineer. After all, the higher the rank a soul engineer was, the more precious and tough the metals he would use. If a soul engineer's carving knife wasn't good enough, how would he be able to carve a core formation? Furthermore, a good carving knife could let a soul engineer achieve twice the results with half the effort while creating a soul tool.

Huo Yuhao and He Caitou were both stunned upon seeing this carving knife. At the very least, they weren't able to tell where its outstanding points were on the surface. However, Huo Yuhao placed a great deal of trust in his earlier feeling. The sharp sensation that had pierced through even his Spiritual Detection was definitely not fake, and this carving knife was definitely not normal.

Qing Ya's voice rang out from the crowd of dissatisfied voices, "In all likelihood, a few of our distinguished guests have been deceived by its outer appearance. Then, I can only tell you with much regret that you are all wrong. Missing this mystery gift will be your life's greatest regret. Now, let me introduce to you all this seemingly ordinary carving knife that is definitely not ordinary."

"A carving knife is a necessity for a soul engineer. Moreover, a good carving knife is the most important thing that a high-ranking soul engineer can have. Distinguished guests, the carving knife you see in front of you can't be described using the word 'simple' alone. Calling it an exceptional carving knife wouldn't be an exaggeration at all. Firstly, let me give a quick explanation. There's a ranking for carving knives within the world of soul engineers, and the top-ranking ones are all in the hands of the best soul engineers in the world. I'm sure that everyone here has heard of the term 'ranked carving knife'. It's a term used to describe carving knives that have reached the leaderboard."

"Our Douluo Continent's Carving Knife Leaderboard lists the top hundred carving knives in the world. Regretfully, over two-thirds of those knives belong to the Sun Moon Empire. This is one of the main reasons why there are so many, and so powerful, soul engineers in the Sun Moon Empire. And the item you see before you is one of the hundred carving knives on the Leaderboard. In other words, it's one of the ranked carving knives that I've just spoken about."

The crowd below the stage immediately flew into an uproar the moment Qing Ya uttered the words 'ranked carving knife'. The previous sighs of dissatisfaction immediately vanished, and He Caitou closed his eyes helplessly.

If Qing Ya hadn't explained everything, he had been planning to keep everything to himself. As one of Fan Yu's disciples, he had noticed a few abnormalities regarding this carving knife after making a close observation. Moreover, as a soul engineer himself, his desire for a ranked carving knife would never be lacking. There were only two ranked carving knives within Shrek Academy, which respectively belonged to Dean Xian Lin'er and Fan Yu.

Right now, a ranked carving knife had just appeared before them. This had an extremely important significance to them, and even Shrek Academy as a whole.

Although Wang Yan didn't know much about carving knives, he was instantly excited after hearing the words 'ranked carving knife'. He understood that this was something that he had to bring back to Shrek Academy no matter what. Even if it had a high price, the academy would still reward him for it. Out of the precious things that the academy was looking for, a ranked carving knife had been ranked among the top for a long time! This was especially true for the Soul Tool Department, for even Vice-Dean Qian Duoduo wasn't able to use a ranked carving knife.

The fervent atmosphere below the stage instantly caused a brilliant smile to appear on Qing Ya's charming face. She wasn't impatient at all–after waiting for a full five minutes, the participants of the auction gradually calmed down.

"Auctioness Qing Ya. What're you still waiting for? Quickly start the bidding." There were already a few people who couldn't hold in their excitement anymore.

Qing Ya smiled, "Distinguished guests, please do not be so impatient. I'm sure that everyone here knows that our Starlight Auction has always been sincere and honest to all of our customers. We have always guaranteed the quality of all goods that are sold within our auctions, and we will never allow a faulty or problematic good to be given to our distinguished guests. Because of this, I would like everyone to allow me to finish speaking."

Whilst speaking, Qing Ya looked regretfully at the ancient carving knife in front of her and sighed lightly. "If this were an ordinary ranked carving knife, it would never have appeared here. Distinguished guests, I'm sure that you are all aware of this. A ranked carving knife is one of the most valuable items within the world of soul engineers. It's even more valuable than certain precious materials. The reason why this ranked carving knife has appeared as the last item in today's Class 4 auction is because it has a particular problem."

"It's ranked 99th on the Carving Knife Leaderboard, but with its strength, it shouldn't be ranked that low. In fact, it should be within the top 30. However, the main reason why it's ranked so low is because it's a cursed carving knife."

He Caitou suddenly cried out, "Is that the Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife that counter-devours its owners?"

Shrek Academy was seated in the first row of the auction, and his voice wasn't soft either. Qing Ya was naturally able to hear his words, and a trace of astonishment immediately appeared on her charming face whereupon she answered, "We actually have a knowledgeable guest. Correct, this carving knife is the 99th ranked Soul-Devouring Carving Knife that's known as the Vicious Knife."

"This Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife has had over three thousand years of history. Three thousand years ago, it appeared in the Sun Moon Empire. Its creator was an absolutely exceptional soul engineer who supposedly became a Class 9 soul engineer. Furthermore, he wasn't just a soul engineer, but a soul master as well; a terrifying evil soul master. Three thousand years ago, he brought about a storm of carnage and terror to the continent."

At that point, the participants in the auction quietened down. The expressions of many people turned grave as well.

"The Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife was created by that evil soul master during his later years. According to the stories, he encountered a mortal enemy not long after creating this carving knife. He was a genius in his generation, but also a monster. He subsequently fell, but didn't carry the Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife by his side when he died. Following the passage of time, this vicious knife ended up in the mortal world."

"When our Starlight Auction made an investigation into its past, we found that this vicious knife has had a total of thirty-seven owners. However, every single one of these thirty-seven people have died violently. Of which, nine of them became evil soul masters. According to the legends, this Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife contains a trace of that talented evil soul master's soul. Because of that, it steers its owners toward the path of evil. If you are not strong-willed, you will not be able to use it. Furthermore, it absolutely cannot be used frequently. Thus, it fell and fell in the rankings until it finally reached a spot where it couldn't fall any further. Due to its previous glory, it has never been stricken from the Carving Knife Leaderboard. People who like it have always been hoping that it can finally find a true master, but we hope that its owner possesses the attribute of Light. This way, it'll be very hard for him to be corrupted. Naturally, we don't have a complete understanding of this carving knife. Thus, we advise that our distinguished guests be cautious when purchasing this item. We can guarantee that as long as you don't pour soul power into it, you won't be counter-devoured. Furthermore, with its status as a ranked carving knife, turning it into an heirloom is quite good."

After listening to Qing Ya's long explanation, everyone present finally understood why a ranked carving knife had appeared in a Class 4 auction. Many participants who were originally eager to buy it were now silent.

This Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife would absolutely not have an excessively low value due to its status as a ranked carving knife. However, no matter how good it was, it couldn't be compared to one's life! If a person bought such a precious item and didn't use it, wouldn't it be a waste? In the end, this was just a Class 4 auction, and many of the participants weren't very rich. Because of this, hesitation began to appear in their hearts.

He Caitou sighed and shook his head, "You can't buy this vicious knife. I've heard my teacher talk about it before. The counter-devouring of this vicious knife isn't as simple as what that auctioneer said. You should be able to see this from what happened to the owners who didn't die. After all, it's a ranked carving knife! If we buy it and bring it back, will we be able to resist not using it? If I'm not mistaken, my teacher said that soul tools produced by this Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife will have two additional effects, making them terrifying existences. It's truly a pity."

Nobody would take their own lives as a joke. When He Caitou finished speaking, Wang Yan revealed a disappointed look in his eyes. He was already prepared to give up on the Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife.

"The starting price of the Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife is one hundred thousand gold soul coins, and each increase cannot be lower than five thousand gold soul coins. We can start the auction now." Qing Ya spoke with a smile on her face. In reality, she wasn't excited at all. She was able to tell with her nearly ten years of experience as an auctioneer that the Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife would be left unsold yet again.

In reality, the Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife had appeared in one of the Starlight Auction's top-ranked auctions shortly after the organization had obtained it. Its starting price wasn't a hundred thousand, but three hundred thousand. It had been acquired by chance, and it was still a ranked carving knife no matter what was said!

However, who could've predicted that its infamy was so widespread? Even the high-ranking guests of the Starlight Auction weren't willing to possess it, even as an heirloom. Just who would dare to keep it with the dangers of an evil soul master's soul residing within it?

The Vicious Soul-Devouring Knife had a history that could only be described using the word 'savage'. None of its previous owners, including its creators, had been able to live for more than ten years after coming into possession of it. Because of this, it had spent a large majority of its three thousand years of existence lying unused.

Helpless, the Starlight Auction's owner could only let it appear often within various auctions. Furthermore, he promised to give a commission of 1% to the auctioneer who was able to sell it off. However, things turned out contrary to the way he wished. The Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife had appeared in several tens of auctions, but nobody had been willing to buy it. Due to this, its price fell and fell yet again until it was near the price that the auction had purchased it for.

If it's not going to sell, so be it. Qing Ya hadn't had too much hope in the first place.

A somewhat young voice suddenly rang out from the seating area at this moment, "One hundred thousand gold soul coins."

A sign containing the number 333 was suddenly raised.

Qing Ya was left dumbstruck. This was the first time that a person had bid on the Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife! She was completely overjoyed after a brief moment of astonishment. It had to be known that the 1% commision of its price of a hundred thousand gold soul coins was one thousand gold soul coins! Even if a person squandered his money, it would be enough for that person to survive for a few years. It was already quite good for Qing Ya to be able to obtain tens to hundreds of gold soul coins during each auction she hosted. After all, she was only a purple-ranked auctioneer. If she was able to sell the Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife, she could be promoted to a black, or even higher ranked auctioneer.

Qing Ya even forgot to speak for a brief moment due to the exuberance she felt.

"I'm bidding one hundred thousand gold soul coins." That young voice rang out once again.

"Ah! Okay, guest number 333 has bid one hundred thousand gold soul coins. Are there any more guests who wish to bid?" Qing Ya came to her senses and spoke hurriedly. Furthermore, the hope she felt spiked dramatically. If one person was willing to bid for it, why wouldn't there be a second? Even if the bid was increased by five thousand, she would take away fifty more gold soul coins.