Top Quality Goods & The Princess

This was a room that was roughly two hundred square meters in surface area, and the decorations were as posh and extravagant as they could be. There were exotic wood and jade stones, along with other furniture and decorative items that people could tell with one look were highly valuable. The ornaments around the room were filled with garishness, yet they gave off a feeling of elegance that one simply couldn't help but praise.

This was inside the first auction hall of the great Starlight Auction, in the seventh room, and it was ostentatious.

The entire room was rectangular, and the longer side of the wall was crystal clear with a radiant white hue. This was the only wall without a single decorative element.

The sprawling sofa was made from the skin of an unknown beast, and the long white fur was incredibly soft and tender. Anyone sitting on the sofa would enjoy the comfortable feeling of sinking into the whole thing, and yet there was enough support.

The sofa was large enough to accommodate twelve people. There were also all kinds of refreshments and condiments laid out on the jade table stand at the side. Huo Yuhao quickly realized that he had never even seen the things laid out on the table before, not even a single kind of fruit.

Everybody was just comfortably spreading out on the long sofa. Qing Ya, the auctioneer, and the two other young girls clad in flowing golden dresses stayed back. Qing Ya was standing by the side of the sofa and grinned as she said, "I will explain the rules of our top-ranked auction."

As she spoke, she signaled to the two young girls beside her.

One of the girls stepped over to the smooth wall and tapped lightly on its surface. Instantly, a layer of gentle light started to radiate from the entire wall, which gradually became stronger until the entire wall eventually transformed into an enormous screen.

All this fell into Huo Yuhao's eyes as he turned towards He Caitou with an astonished look. He Caitou was the first to speak as he couldn't help but ask, "Is this a soul tool?"

Qing Ya nodded her head and replied, "This is a custom-made soul light screen that we specially obtained from the Sun Moon Empire. It can display images via an esoteric method, but its formation arrays are not activated by soul power – instead, they're activated by a kind of ore from the Sun Moon Empire."

It wasn't just Huo Yuhao and He Caitou who reacted in shock at her statement – the other members of Shrek shared the same confoundment.

What did using ores to activate soul tools suggest? It implied that soul engineers no longer needed to expend any soul power to use soul tools! The value of this to the world of soul tools was simply too great.

Qing Ya was adept at reading people's emotions, and it was only natural that she picked up on the befuddlement from her audience, because she quickly tried to explain. "Don't be too hasty everyone, and wait for me to finish my explanation. Even though this light-directing screen is activated by ore, this kind of ore emanates an extremely weak and gentle energy, and there's no way it can activate offensive or defensive soul tools. All it can do is carry out the lighter tasks of weak soul tools."

Qing Ya gave a most logical and sensible explanation, but the confusion and bewilderment in the hearts of her audience had not been fully dispelled yet.

Perhaps it was true that the Sun Moon Empire had yet to discover a method to activate soul tools without using Soul power. However, this soul light screen was evidence of how advanced the Sun Moon Empire was in terms of the development of soul tools. Wang Yan's speech about the future drifted to the forefront of everyone's minds, and everyone started to feel heavy in their hearts. Times were ever-changing, civilization was always advancing, and soul tools were continuously being developed as well. The Sun Moon Empire had never been too keen about interacting with other nations, so nobody really knew the exact extent to which the Sun Moon Empire had made advancements in their research on soul tools. Before long, they would be facing the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.

The Light-Transmitting Screen was becoming clearer. Some images were displayed on either side, while an auction station was presented in the middle. The auction didn't seem very big, but was presented on the screen with extreme clarity.

Qing Ya continued, "In order to protect the privacy of the participants of this top-ranked auction, all valued guests will have their own designated rooms, just like the one everyone is in right now. All viewing and the contest for items up for auction will be carried out inside this room, and I will be responsible for introducing the items up for auction in detail. These two girls will report the quotations during the auction."

"All you have you do is quote the price. Everything in here – the food and refreshments – are complimentary. After the auction, the items will be sent into the room as soon as possible and will be settled with a final overall bill at the end of everything. As our guests, you can grab something to eat before we officially begin the auction." Everybody had just had a meal not too long ago, and nobody was too interested in the foodstuffs. However, the alluring drinks were too tempting to resist, and some of them reached out to try them.

The top-ranked Starlight Auction was worthy of its name. The drinks were not only delicious, they were as nutritious as the food provided to the core disciples of Shrek Academy itself. Huo Yuhao only had a single glass of fruit punch and he could already feel a comfortable warmth coursing through his body.

Wang Yan said to Qing Ya, "Auctioneer Qing Ya, please have a seat as well."

Qing Ya didn't reject this offer, and after tilting her head with a wide smile on her face, took a seat beside him. Wang Yan hurriedly shifted to the side to create some space between the two of them before his face flushed red. He wasn't young anymore, but he didn't yet have a family, and he had never really interacted with girls before – his heart and soul were dedicated to the research and development of soul masters. At this moment, there was a mature and enchanting beauty sitting so close to him and this made him a little uneasy.

Qing Ya covered her mouth as she giggled at the sight of his reaction. Yet, instead of teasing him, she asked softly, "Is this your first time in Star Luo City?"

Wang Yan shook his head and replied, "I've been here before, but every trip was completed in a hurry."

Qing Ya said, "You must be very busy with your work at Shrek Academy."

Wang Yan answered, "It's better if I'm busy with my work. If it's just normal teaching, it won't be so tiring. After all, the members of our academy are all outstanding students, and they don't need too much worrying from us teachers." As he said this, a look of pride flashed across his face, and this was naturally due to Year 2's Class 1.

He had said before, more than once, that Year 2's Class 1 was the most talented class he had ever taught. This was also extremely compatible with his teaching style, which was purely skill-based, and he was also strict and firm with his students.

His students were not only prodigious, one was more hardworking than the other. According to his own estimations, when they ascended to Year 3, the entire class could reach the third ring in mastery. How impressive would that statistic be? His greatest wish at this moment was to have the honor of taking his entire troupe of students to the end, and to ensure that everybody successfully graduated from the academy.

Qing Ya smiled faintly and said, "One look, and I can tell you're a great teacher. The moment you mention your students, there is an obvious exhilaration in your emotions."

All this small talk caused Wang Yan to unwind a little, and his emotions became a lot less tense. "It's because my students are too cute. In reality, as a teacher, my greatest wish is to see my students succeed. As of now, my students haven't disappointed me."

Qing Ya bowed her head a little and said, "I hope you can produce even more extraordinary students."

"Many thanks." Wang Yan returned her well-wishes politely, but he failed to detect the slight unnatural sparkle in Qing Ya's eyes as she stared at him.

Qing Ya giggled as she asked, "Teacher Wang, the Starlight Auction wishes to expand our business into Shrek City. What suggestions do you have for me?"

Wang Yan was slightly taken aback. "The Starlight Auction wants to go to Shrek City as well? That's a good thing! However, there seem to be multiple auctions in Shrek City already, and thus the competition is bound to be pretty vigorous."

Qing Ya chuckled and replied, "The Starlight Auction has never been afraid of competition, as we believe in our own strengths. If we ever have a chance to venture into Shrek City, I wonder if I can contact you?"

"Of course you can." Wang Yan answered her question almost subconsciously.

Qing Ya raised her hand and produced a small gold box. "Do accept this gift from me then. This is a sound-amplifying soul tool, and they are produced in pairs, so I have one as well. As long as we are within fifty kilometers of each other, we can communicate using this. If you need anything from me during your stay in Star Luo City, feel free to contact me!"

Wang Yan accepted this little gift and glanced at Qing Ya. He suddenly noticed that Qing Ya was staring at him with a piercing gaze, and it instantly gave him mixed feelings, so he hurriedly nodded and put the sound-amplifying soul tool away.

Right at this moment, the entire room was abruptly plunged into a layer of golden light, and everybody turned toward the soul screen.

A gentle golden light that wasn't hurtful to the eyes emanated from the screen that had previously blocked everyone's field of view. Pale rays of golden light also shone from the every corner of room, and the calm and comfortable atmosphere was instantly transformed into something more dignified and elegant.

Qing Ya announced, "My honorable guests, our auction is about to begin."

The golden light coming from the screen gradually receded as a charming voice rang out from within. "Welcome to the top-ranked Starlight Auction. Today, we are placing nine exotic items up for auction. These items will be shown to you, our honorable guests, by their value from the lowest to the highest. We do hope you will enjoy yourselves."

The soul screen cleared up again, and the platform that had appeared before was now covered with another layer of pale white light. In the middle of the platform was a young girl clad in a lengthy red dress.

This girl appeared to be no more than eighteen, and she was enchantingly pretty – to the point where she rivaled even the looks of Jiang Nannan. Furthermore, she was a few years older than Jiang Nannan, and her body was much more mature. The combination of her flowing red dress and her pale white skin gave onlookers a feeling of perfection – the only strange thing was that the auction station had yet to appear on the platform.

"Greetings, valued guests. I am today's auctioneer, and my name is Jiu Jiu. I am honored to be here today to host this top-ranked auction. Your time is valuable to us, so we shall begin the auction right away. Subsequently, do feast your eyes upon the first item of the day."

As she spoke, she flashed a glamorous smile and made an extremely exquisite greeting as she gestured with her right hand. The scene switched right away, and the soul screen on the wall presented the first item up for auction.

No wonder there wasn't an auction station – the item itself was a magnified projection! It was displayed across the ten-meter-long wall, down to its most intricate details.

Dai Yaoheng asked inquisitively, "Why is this auctioneer following the formalities of the royal palace of the Star Luo Empire?"

Qing Ya glanced at Dai Yueheng with a look a of faint shock and answered, "Fine eyes you have, valued guest. Auctioneer Jiu Jiu is the lead auctioneer of the Star Luo Auction, and its only gold-ranked auctioneer. However, only when the value of the item is over hundreds of millions of gold coins will she don the golden auctioneer's uniform. At the same time, Auctioneer Jiu Jiu is the youngest sister of the current emperor of the Empire. She has remarked that her status in the auction is as an auctioneer, which is the reason why we don't address her as 'Your Highness'."

Everybody exchanged looks with each other, as this was surreal for them. Even though they had already guessed that the Starlight Auction had an extraordinary background, they never thought it would reach such a level.

A princess from the royal palace as an auctioneer. What did this mean? This meant that the entire Starlight Auction probably belonged to the royal family of the Star Luo Empire.

Still, while they were boggled by what they had just discovered, everybody's attention was diverted to the item that was presented before them, and Princess Jiu Jiu's voice could be heard.

The Tyrannical Tiger Soulblade is a Class 8 close-combat soul tool. Its components are extremely valuable, including the right arm bone of a ten thousand year Tyrannical Tiger. It also contains a soul bone skill called the Tyrannical Slash. At the same time, it can boost the offensive powers of compatible soul skills by fifty percent."

"Do take note, honorable guests, that every strike using this precious close-combat soul tool will produce the effect of a Tyrannical Slash, and this effect will add onto the effects of any related soul skills. At the same time, through the sophisticated workings and direction of the formation arrays, and in addition to the inherent energies contained within the soul bone, the amount of soul power required to use the Tyrannical Slash is only a third of what it normally is."

"Lastly, the Tyrannical Tiger Soulblade originates from the Sun Moon Empire's Illustrious Virtue Hall. I think these three words – Illustrious Virtue Hall – are enough to prove its quality. Seven-ringed Soul Sages can use this weapon, and they will be able to challenge a Soul Douluo. You will have five minutes to inspect the item."

久久公主的介绍一完,房间内不自觉的响起了抽气的声音.这还只是第一件拍品啊!

Once Princess Jiu Jiu completed her introduction, deep breaths could be heard being drawn across the room – this was only the first item up for auction!

It was a Class 8 soul tool, and even though both Huo Yuhao and He Caitou were from the Soul Tool Department, they had never seen this before. Several simple and crisp sentences were enough to bring out the most powerful and attractive aspects of this item.

Even the more experienced Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yaoheng and Ling Luochen betrayed looks of amazement. They had seen Class 8 soul tools in past auctions that they had participated in before, but they were few and far between. Normally, the appearance of a Class 6 soul tool in an auction was already a rare sight. Once in a blue moon, a Class 8 soul tool would be revealed, but even then, they would be the anchoring item to close off the entire auction. Today, the first item was already a Class 8 soul tool, and it was the item with the lowest value in the list of items that were in store – how could all this not overwhelm them with bewilderment and excitement?

One couldn't underestimate the Tyrannical Tiger Soulblade just because it was a close-combat soul tool. In reality, for high level soul masters, close-combat soul tools were more important than long-range soul tools and stationary soul tools, as they were more complementary to their skills.

The students were unable to help themselves as they got up from the comfort of their seats and stepped up to the screen to inspect this eighth-ranked war blade.

There was a comprehensive description of the item on the screen. The Tyrannical Tiger Soulblade was four feet six inches long, while the blade itself was at least an inch wide. It was modeled like a saber, the hilt extending to the handguard, and it was shaped like a bone. The handguard itself was ten centimeters wide, and was a caricature of a tiger's head – there was no doubt that this soul tool's formation arrays were located there. The tiger's head radiated with a crystal yellow hue, and seemed to have been made from a special jewel.

He Caitou was the most knowledgeable amongst the entire group regarding soul tools. He took but a few glances before a look of awe came over his face. "These… not only do these formation arrays draw from the power of the soul bone, but the entire body is made from Amber Gold! Such extravagance! Besides, it's quite a large piece of Amber Gold! No wonder they can solidify the energy from the soul bones. Items produced in the Illustrious Virtue Hall are indeed extraordinary."

Huo Yuhao was beside He Caitou, and he too was observing it intently. Even though it was just an image, he could feel a faint aura of ferocity drafting towards him. The broad blade seemed to shimmer with a terrifying layer of blood.

Huo Yuhao lowered his voice and asked, "Senior brother, what kind of place is the Illustrious Virtue Hall?"

Before He Caitou could respond, Wang Yan lowered his voice as well and answered, "The Illustrious Virtue Hall has connections with Shrek that run very deep, and they hold the highest status in the Sun Moon Empire. Put more accurately, they are a part of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. Much like our own inner courtyard, only the most outstanding students from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy are allowed to enter for cultivation and studies. At the same time, they are the cardinal authority in forging and manufacturing soul tools. All the soul tools produced by the Illustrious Virtue Hall overflow with excessive demand the moment they hit the market. Thus, the Illustrious Virtue Hall is also a substitute representation of a soul tool's quality."

Qing Ya smiled faintly and chimed in. "Teacher Wang is right. There are more teachers than students within the Illustrious Virtue Hall, and the most powerful soul engineers are concentrated there as well. Over the years, most of the epoch-making soul tools originated from the Illustrious Virtue Hall. One can well say that the Illustrious Virtue Hall is like the most important ivory tower of the Sun Moon Empire. Their technologies regarding the development of soul tools are also the most advanced on the continent."

Bei Bei appeared behind Huo Yuhao like a ghost. He was also listening attentively to Qing Ya's explanation as he tapped Huo Yuhao on the shoulder and whispered, "Keep it up, little junior."

Only five simple words fell into Huo Yuhao's ears, but it instilled in him an overflowing feeling of hope. Huo Yuhao thought to himself – how incredible would it be if the Tang Sect could one day receive such exalting praise?

Huo Yuhao hadn't been so sensitive back when he was still cultivating and studying inside the academy, but following his expedition out of the academy and into Star Luo City for the competition, he had picked up and learned so many things in the process that he would never have been exposed to in the academy. He gradually began to understand the substantial importance of soul tools, and that the manufacturing of soul tools by the Sun Moon Empire were far greater than that of other nations – more than he had imagined.

The thing that staggered Huo Yuhao the most wasn't the Class 8 Tyrannical Tiger Soulblade before him, but the soul screen that could be operated without the injection of soul power, in spite of Qing Ya's previous explanation about the weakness of these external sources. However, the Sun Moon Empire had already produced a soul tool that didn't require soul power to be activated – in that case, what was the difference between the weak and the powerful? It wouldn't take more than a few years before the Sun Moon Empire would be able to produce soul tools with offensive and defensive capabilities that could be activated without consuming soul power. When that day arrived, the structure of the entire continent would change drastically.

"I have to work harder and become stronger," Huo Yuhao made a mental note to himself.

"Time's up. The Tyrannical Tiger Soulblade's opening price is six hundred thousand golden soul coins, and every bid cannot be less than five thousand golden soul coins. All of you, my honorable guests, are experienced with this, and I trust that we won't need Jiu Jiu to explain too much. If a bid is unanswered after a minute, the deal is done – let's begin."

The screen started to transform into a pale white color. The image of the Tyrannical Tiger Soulblade gradually grew more obscure as it faded into the background, while a giant number that read "six hundred thousand" flashed on the surface of the screen.

"Six hundred and fifty thousand." Dai Yueheng was the first to bid, before he turned towards Wang Yan. "Teacher Wang, this is my personal decision."

Wang Yan didn't say anything, and simply nodded in his direction.

The students in the inner courtyard of Shrek Academy had never had any issues with their finances, and they would also bring their savings with them when carrying out similar tasks. Dai Yaoheng himself was the eldest son of the White Tiger Duke, who had been passing down the position for at least ten thousand years – this naturally meant that the amount of money he could use was plentiful.

The moment he quoted his bid, the golden-robed servant girl immediately executed a simple action on the soul screen, and the giant numbers on the screen subsequently changed to six hundred and fifty thousand.

The reason why Dai Yueheng was so moved was that this Class 8 soul tool had something to do with the tiger, and could be used by a Soul Sage. Dai Yaoheng wasn't too far from his seventh ring, and he could probably break through to that level in the next three to five years. Furthermore, a Class 8 soul tool such as this that was complementary to his abilities didn't come around too often.

Ma Xiaotao snapped at once. "You think you're big just because you're rich?"

Dai Yueheng wasn't angry at all. He flashed her a faint smile and said, "You are stronger than me, Xiaotao, and you will definitely advance to the seventh ring before I can. How about this – when you become a soul sage, you can use the Tyrannical Tiger Soulblade first and return it to me once I reach the seventh ring. How's that? If not, it will just be rotting in my possession anyway."

Ma Xiaotao shot him a look and said, "Why do I need your stuff? Besides, it's still uncertain whether you can win the bid in the end."

Indeed, the numbers on the screen were already starting to flicker.

Huo Yuhao was a little perplexed. When he was at the Treasure-Appreciation Conference at the Treasure Pavilion with Wang Dong, Wang Dong's Golden Light Left Arm Bone had been valued at nine million five hundred thousand golden soul coins. This Class 8 soul tool's opening price was only six hundred thousand golden soul coins, and it even included a tiger-type right arm soul bone – how could the price disparity be so great?

Wang Dong understood him very well, and instantly detected the doubts in his mind. He lowered his voice and said, "Are you thinking about the Golden Light Left Arm Bone? That's incomparable. Even though soul bones are all precious, a tiny distinction in quality can lead to vastly different values. The description of this blade's power seems fine, but it probably means that the quality of the soul bone infused within it isn't too great – otherwise, why would it be used to forge a soul tool? A soul master could just absorb it. As for the Golden Light Left Arm Bone, it gives my abilities an overall boost. Furthermore, I can feel that the reason why its effects on me are still limited is because my level of mastery isn't high enough, just like your soul skills. Otherwise, it would be because I am not yet familiar with handling it. Do remember that the presence of the bone enhances our cultivation speed when we use the Haodong Power. You have to know that an increase of even ten percent in our cultivation speed is already difficult to gauge with money. Besides, this Class 8 soul tool's opening price may only be six hundred thousand, but who knows how much its final price will be?"

"Although my Golden Light Left Arm Bone can't compare to a hundred thousand year soul bone, it's still a rather formidable presence among soul bones. It was also the item with the highest value at the Treasure Appreciation Auction held in the Treasure Pavilion. While there are many items in this Starlight Auction house, not all of them can supersede it in terms of value in such a top-ranked auction."

As the two of them spoke, the number on the soul screen had already changed rapidly.

The golden soul coin figure soared and crossed the 1 million mark very quickly. However, the figure increased at a slower rate upon crossing the 1 million mark.

Qing Ya said, "Distinguished guests, this Tyrannical Tiger Soulblade has a rough value of six hundred thousand golden soul coins based on its own quality and without consideration of the craftmanship of the soul engineer. This is according to careful analysis by our auctionplace. This is also the reason why we raised the starting bid for this item. A conservative estimate of its actual value would be at least 1.3 million golden soul coins. That piece of Tyrannical Tiger soul bone from which it was carved has a slight flaw, but the Class 8 soul engineer that produced it has already removed this flaw during the process of carving the blade. If that piece of soul bone were perfect, this blade might have been even be more powerful. However, this would also mean that its price would have been even more astronomical. Personally, I feel that the price of this Tyrannical Tiger Soulblade is very reasonable."

How many of those who came to this top-ranked auction were fools? Just like Princess Xingyun said, they were all connoisseurs, and were clearly aware of the right price of the items. The auction house did not overprice the starting bids, but it was also almost impossible for anyone to obtain any item at a steal.

Dai Yaoheng eventually made up his mind and used 1.56 million golden soul coins to bid for this Tyrannical Tiger Soulblade.

The price of the blade didn't change for a minute. After the bidding ended, golden lights in the entire room burst into bright fireworks. This signified a successful bid.

Dai Yaoheng was also feeling the pinch in his heart. After being a member of the Shrek Guardians for such a long time, his personal savings were barely over a few hundred thousand golden soul coins. However, Star Luo City was his headquarters. Thus, it was not too difficult for him to raise this sum of money.

Princess Jiujiu, who wore a long red dress, appeared on the screen once again. She smiled sweetly as she bowed slightly. She said, "I'd like to thank the guest who won the bid for the Tyrannical Tiger Soulblade for his support of our auction today. Below, we shall present the second auction item now. Although they can only be expended once, they are very rare. It's not easy to gather this entire set. Distinguished guests, please take a look."

The soul tool screen changed once again, and the screen on the wall was divided into 12 sections. The items in each of the 12 sections looked very similar to one another.

They were all cylindrical objects. One end was cone-shaped, and the other end was the base of the cylinder. This applied to all 12 items. The only difference that they had were in terms of their color. They seemed to be carved from different types of metal.

"Stationary soul cannon shells." He Caitou muttered almost instantaneously, his voice filled with shock.

Princess Jiujiu's voice echoed within the room, "These 12 stationary soul cannon shells are products of the Illustrious Virtue Hall. It took us quite some effort to gather them. Each of them has a different effect and their sizes are according to the standard format. When used appropriately, these 12 shells have the power to threaten the life of a Soul Douluo."

"Using the class of a soul tool to measure them, each one of them contains a precise formation array. The formation arrays are not inferior to a Class 6 soul tool in terms of complexity. Their elements include water, fire, earth, wind, light, darkness, poison, lightning, frost, metal, explosion and paralysis. At least a Class 6 stationary soul cannon shell is needed to fire the cannonballs. For repeated firing, at least a Class 7 stationary soul cannon will be needed. I shall give all of you 5 minutes to appreciate this set of 12 items."

Before she had even finished speaking, He Caitou had already leapt forward quickly. Huo Yuhao followed closely behind him. Although they had not encountered a soul tool of this class, it was still good if they could just admire it!

This was especially so for He Caitou, as he had used a stationary soul tool before. He was more aware of the importance of a stationary soul cannon shell. Thinking about it, the effect of the stationary soul tool in battle must be very immense given that even the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament did not permit the use of it by its participants.

Princess Jiu Jiu's description was not exaggerated. If these shells were all at the Class 6 level, they could certainly threaten the life of a Soul Douluo, and even cause problems for a Titled Douluo.

"They're too exquisite. Little junior brother, the formation arrays are at the tails of the cannon shells. There are accelerator circuits on the surface of the formation arrays, too. Furthermore, these circuits are so huge. Once the cannon shell is released, its speed will be frightening. No wonder a Class 6 and above stationary soul cannon is required to fire them, so as to prevent the bore from exploding."

He Caitou looked at these shells and jumped around in excitement.

Wang Yan walked beside him and asked softly, "Caitou, do you know the value of these shells?"

He Caitou nodded his head without any hesitation and said, "Of course. I've researched them very heavily! Teacher Wang, we must get them. These few years, our soul tool department has focused our research on stationary soul tools. The might of a stationary soul cannon is a huge problem that has stumped us. Right now, our academy can only produce stationary soul cannon shells that are Class 5, at most. This item is pricey and expendable, but they're something we haven't been able to produce. These shells, will be very useful in our research of higher class shells."

"Alright, I understand." Wang Yan nodded his head.

Qing Ya reminded them softly, "Distinguished guests, these cannons are all equipped with the encrypted formation schematic of the Illustrious Virtue Hall. If any of you is buying them for research purposes, please take due care. If the encrypted formation is touched, it may induce an explosion."

"Of course I know that." He Caitou said without any hesitation, "No matter who created such a high-level soul tool, the same logic applies. However, we can reap some information just by looking at the clues on their surfaces…"

He wanted to continue on, but Wang Yan coughed and blocked out his words. He Caitou also realized that he was getting too excited, and quickly refrained from speaking further.

The price of these 12 shells was indeed astonishing, and were true to the idea that every succeeding auction item was more expensive than the preceding item. The starting price for these 12 shells was actually 650,000 golden soul coins.

"Distinguished guests, I don't think that this set of cannon shells from the Illustrious Virtue Hall is too expensive for all of you. Not only can they be used in battle, they can also be kept as souvenirs. It's also not easy for the Illustrious Virtue Hall to produce such a set like this. The most important thing is that they are very rare. The Starlight Auction house can guarantee that this is the first time a set of Class 6 stationary soul cannon shells from the Illustrious Virtue Hall has appeared in our auction house."

The bidding started. Wang Yan did not rush to make a bid, and only watched the screen quietly.

It was not his first or second time taking part in an auction. Even for the most specific auctions, not all the auction items would be able to be auctioned out successfully. There would be situations where a second auction would be held.

Perhaps the value of these 12 shells might be greater than the Tyrannical Tiger Soulblade earlier. However, that was attributed more to their rarity. There were very few who were willing and able to use these shells. Furthermore, the price of the entire set of 12 shells was too high. They were not like close-combat soul tools or long-range soul tools. Once the shells were used, they could no longer be used anymore.

Indeed, Wang Yan's steadiness was rewarded. The figure of 650,000 golden soul coins did not increase. No one was willing to make a bid.

After a minute, Princess Jiujiu regretfully said, "It seems like these 12 shells will not have an owner today. I shall count down the last 20 seconds. If no one makes a bid, this auction item will be put for up for a second auction."

Wang Yan twisted his head towards Qing Ya and asked in a low voice, "How many seconds does it take to make a bid?"

"Bids are processed instantly." Qing Ya replied.

Wang Yan nodded his head slightly, and his eyes flashed with a wise and far-sighted radiance.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1."

When the countdown reached 2 seconds, Wang Yan shouted, "I will bid 655,000 golden soul coins." The smallest raise was 5000 golden soul coins. He did not bid the starting price, but added 5000 golden soul coins.

The price was entered in immediately. At the very last second, the illusory 650,000 figure jumped to 655,000 instantly after it froze.

Qing Ya was stunned as she covered her small mouth. Following that, she raved, "Teacher Wang, you are brilliant!"

Huo Yuhao also understood what had happened. At the very last moment, it was not only Wang Yan who had made a bid. However, the other person had offered the starting price. Under such a circumstance, the increase that Wang Yan had added to his bid had a decisive impact.

Wang Yan smiled before saying, "I was just taking precautions. I'm lucky to have obtained this set of stationary soul cannon shells by bidding a little higher."

Qing Ya laughed slightly as she congratulated him; she seemed elated too. The Shrek Academy that she was in charge of hosting managed to succeed in their bid for two auction items consecutively. Not only would she gain a commission, but it would also greatly help her assessment score in the auction house.

However, Shrek Academy did not bid on any of the next 5 auction items. They included a left arm bone, a right arm bone, a right leg bone, a piece of rare metal and a long-range Class 8 soul tool.

What was worth mentioning was the long-range Class 8 soul tool. As a Class 8 soul tool, it required a Titled Douluo to use it. Its name was the Heavensplitting Cannon, and it also came from the Sun Moon Empire. However, it was not a product of the Illustrious Virtue Hall. It was made by a Class 9 soul engineer.