Chapter 158 - 158: [DD2]: 158

Credits: daxterdaxter A 100,000-year soul bone is simply too precious. Items of this caliber are typically reserved for the strongest individuals. The gap between a Soul Master with a 100,000-year soul bone and one without is massive. Even among Titled Douluo, having one or two more 100,000-year soul bones can provide an obvious edge. It's no exaggeration to say that 100,000-year soul bones are true treasures. If the Star Luo Empire possessed one, they would never put it up for auction unless they had lost their minds. So, what could this final auction item be? Amid the crowd's expectant gazes, Xu Jiujiu smiled and said, "Esteemed guests, from my attire, you can probably tell how precious this final item is." "Honestly, this item is something I'm seeing for the first time in my life. In my opinion, its value is beyond description." "It shouldn't even be measured in terms of money. Some of you may disagree, but please have a look for yourselves." With a wave of her right hand, the image on the soul tool screen shifted. A white tray appeared on stage, upon which lay a golden metal stand. The stand emitted a faint golden glow. Within that glow, a dark blue misty stream floated and swirled, occasionally crashing against the edges of the glow as if it possessed a will of its own. At this sight, Wang Dong'er and the others were merely curious, but Su Yu felt like his brain had been struck by lightning. His mind exploded. "This... how is this possible?" While others might not recognize it, he did. Back in the Extreme North, a Rank 9 Soul Engineer had trapped Snow Empress while she was transforming. The scene was nearly identical to what he was seeing now! Although the device below wasn't a God Sealing Altar, its function seemed almost identical. And that dark blue mist wasn't just any mist — it was a 100,000-year-old soul beast embryo in the middle of transforming! What the heck?! He had just saved Snow Empress, and now another soul beast was being captured while transforming? Could it be fate that there would always be a soul beast destined to endure this calamity? Because he saved Snow Empress, the unfortunate one had become this soul beast? Su Yu looked up, feeling that familiar sense of an invisible force pushing events toward a specific outcome. This wasn't a coincidence. It was the will of the world itself — the world's intent had to be behind this. As the Child of Destiny, Su Yu couldn't help but wonder if this was another fortuitous encounter prepared for him. After all, Snow Empress had originally been a fateful opportunity orchestrated by the world's will. Now that Snow Empress was no longer part of the plan, it seemed like someone else had to take her place. "Interesting. I wonder which soul beast it is this time." Su Yu rubbed his chin, mulling it over. The mist's deep blue color hinted at a water attribute. A water attribute soul beast? That must mean it was a sea soul beast. But which sea soul beast could it be? Poor thing. Su Yu thought with an inward sigh. Before Su Yu could contemplate further, his storage item, the Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch, suddenly began to shake. This time, Snow Empress's reaction was far more intense than it had been in the past. After all, this situation mirrored her own experience. The feeling of empathy hit her hard. Su Yu had no choice but to reach his hand inside, and as expected, Snow Empress bit his finger. "...Seriously?" Feeling helpless, Su Yu didn't resist. It didn't hurt anyway. Letting her vent a little was fine. Meanwhile, on stage, Xu Jiujiu continued her introduction with a radiant smile. She revealed the story behind the item: It was the transformation embryo of a 100,000-year sea soul beast captured from the deep sea. Her explanation sounded absurd. The deep sea was a treacherous place filled with powerful sea soul beasts. Normally, who in their right mind would venture into such danger? And yet, not only had someone done so, but they'd also happened to stumble upon a transforming 100,000-year soul beast. The odds of that were astronomically low. Coincidence? Not likely. But Su Yu wasn't too surprised. After all, wasn't Snow Empress's situation just as bizarre? An unknown individual had ventured into the Extreme North and somehow arrived in the core zone at the precise moment of Snow Empress's transformation. The will of the world had intervened. Knowing this, Su Yu felt at ease. If the world's will is involved, nothing is too ridiculous. While Su Yu remained calm, the rest of the crowd was in absolute shock. When Xu Jiujiu mentioned that absorbing the 100,000-year soul beast embryo might allow someone to gain a second martial soul, the entire auction house exploded with excitement. seaʀᴄh thё Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Even Xiao Hongchen's eyes turned bloodshot with greed. His expression was so crazed that it seemed like he wanted to devour the soul beast embryo on the spot. "We have to win this! No matter what, we have to win it!" Xiao Hongchen's excitement bordered on hysteria. The sheer greed in his gaze was palpable. He had always envied Su Yu and Wang Dong''ers twin martial souls. Now, he finally had the chance to gain a second martial soul of his own. How could he possibly sit still? Even if they ignored the potential for a second martial soul, the guarantee of a 100,000-year soul ring and a 100,000-year soul bone was enough to drive anyone insane. "This is crazy. How is this even possible?" Wang Dong'er's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief. A 100,000-year soul beast being captured mid-transformation? How minuscule were the odds of that happening? "Now that this 100,000-year soul beast embryo is out, people are going to go wild," Su Yu said with a click of his tongue. Wang Dong'er nodded vigorously in agreement. This was going to be absolute chaos. "Su Yu, you're not allowed to fight me for it! You already have twin martial souls, so you have to let me have this!" Xiao Hongchen turned to Su Yu, his eyes bloodshot with urgency. His eyes were red, his breathing was erratic, and his emotions were on edge. He knew how wealthy Su Yu was. With that kind of financial power, Su Yu could outbid just about anyone. If Su Yu fought for it, Xiao Hongchen would be completely helpless. "Are you looking at me like that because you plan to eat me if I refuse?" Su Yu said with exasperation. "Calm down. Haven't you considered why the Star Luo Empire is putting this item up for auction? Don't you wonder what their real goal is?" "I don't care!" Xiao Hongchen waved his hand, eyes blazing with desire. "I'll think about it after I win it. Grandpa even told Elder Ma that no matter what, we have to win this item!" Xiao Hongchen was desperate. Elder Ma nodded solemnly. "The Hall Master's instructions were clear. We must win it at all costs." Hearing this, Su Yu shrugged. Jiang Hongchen is betting everything on Xiao's future, huh? With Xiao's natural talent, becoming a peak-level powerhouse was already possible. If he could add a second martial soul, his future would be limitless. But could a soul beast embryo truly grant a second martial soul? The chances were slim. Very slim. The power of a 100,000-year soul beast embryo wasn't something that could be easily absorbed. But it was so valuable that even knowing it might be a trap, people still dove right in. Staring at Xiao's red eyes, Su Yu sighed and said, "Fine, I've said all I can. If you want to bid on it, suit yourself." "I won't compete with you. Honestly, twin martial souls aren't as special as you think." Su Yu wouldn't bid. This soul beast embryo was a hot potato. Whoever claimed it would be marked by countless enemies. The Star Luo Empire was trying to scheme against the Sun Moon Empire, so there was no way it would waste unnecessary money. If fate had destined something to belong to him, it would eventually end up in his hands, even if he didn't spend a penny. As for having multiple martial souls, strictly speaking, Su Yu, who had four martial souls, didn't care at all. He was too lazy to even use the vacant Ice Martial Soul slot, so why would he covet this thing? For him, mastering the Ice Emperor and the Dragon God Seal was already sufficient. More martial souls didn't necessarily mean better; the quality of the martial souls mattered more. A single super-grade martial soul was far better than two high-grade twin martial souls. When Su Yu declined, Xiao Hongchen visibly relaxed. But as he glanced at the soul beast embryo on the screen, his heart, which had just settled down, tensed up once more. Although Su Yu wasn't competing for it, the others were no pushovers. Getting that 100,000-year-old soul beast embryo would require a bloody battle. Seeing Xiao Hongchen looking so abnormally excited, Su Yu sighed and gently hugged Meng Hongchen, who was beside him. "Meng'er, your brother's lost his mind." He took a light whiff of her fragrance and spoke softly. Leaning on Su Yu's shoulder, Meng Hongchen whispered, "The temptation of a 100,000-year-old soul beast embryo is too strong. Not just my brother — even I'm feeling a bit tempted." "I understand my brother's thoughts. The allure of gaining an extra martial soul is something no one can resist." "You and Wang Dong can stay calm because both of you already have two martial souls." "...That's true." After a moment of silence, Su Yu agreed that Meng Hongchen made a valid point. He had so many martial souls that he didn't even need them all, so he felt indifferent. But for others, it was nothing less than a chance to defy fate. It was a pass to the path of a true powerhouse. "I was being too idealistic. Still, I'll say this — the Star Luo Empire isn't acting with good intentions. When you return, remind the hall master to be more cautious." Out of goodwill, Su Yu gave another warning. If something still went wrong in the end, it would no longer be his responsibility. "I'll remember," Meng Hongchen responded softly, nestling herself against Su Yu, her face calm and serene. Su Yu hugged her and quietly enjoyed the sweetness of the moment. Soon, the auction began. The competition this time could only be described as brutal. In less than ten seconds, the price soared to over 50 million gold soul coins. And it continued to skyrocket at an insane pace. It was obvious that it wasn't just the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy that had lost its mind — everyone else had too. A guaranteed 100,000-year soul ring and soul bone, with a chance of an additional martial soul. Such temptation was enough to send most people into a frenzy. Once people lost their rationality, madness was inevitable. The price kept climbing. Later in the bidding war, Elder Ma and the others had to mortgage some of their soul tools to acquire more gold soul coins and keep bidding. Other participants also started selling off their assets and collateral to raise money for bidding. This ploy by the Star Luo Empire was undoubtedly a massive success. They raked in a fortune and even ignited a fierce rivalry between Illustrious Virtue Hall and several other sects. "They've all gone mad!" Su Yu shook his head. The Star Luo Empire's strategy of diverting disaster eastward had succeeded. Even though Illustrious Virtue Hall and the other sects saw through the ploy, they still had no choice but to jump in. These politicians played dirty. Of course, Su Yu himself wasn't exactly pure-hearted either — at best, they were on equal footing. The Star Luo Empire made so much tonight that it was only reasonable to expect them to lose a bit later on. Su Yu took a sip of fruit juice. There was nothing more for him to do now. He was just a spectator. Inside Private Room No. 8, only Wang Dong'er was as calm as Su Yu. After her initial surprise, Wang Dong'er didn't even glance at the soul beast embryo again, not even once. "Hey!" Su Yu raised his cup and clinked it against Wang Dong'er's. Wang Dong'er, who was in the middle of eating, blinked at Su Yu in confusion. But when she saw Su Yu raising his cup, she immediately realized and quickly picked up her cup to clink it with Su Yu's. "You seem pretty laid back," Su Yu said with a faint smile, taking a sip of fruit juice. "Well, I don't want that thing, so of course I'm relaxed," Wang Dong'er replied nonchalantly. Su Yu chuckled slightly and waved over to Qing Ya. With a gentle smile, Qing Ya approached. "Esteemed guest, is there anything I can do for you?" "Check, please!" Su Yu pulled out a purple-gold card. Qing Ya's face lit up with a radiant smile, and she quickly handled the payment process for him. Before long, Su Yu had settled the bill. "Here's your card, honored guest." Qing Ya handed the card back to him. Su Yu chuckled and said, "We've bid on so many lots tonight. I imagine Miss Qing Ya will be getting quite the commission, huh?" Qing Ya smiled warmly. "It's all thanks to the generosity of our esteemed guests." Su Yu smiled without saying anything more. He quietly watched the large screen. After a while, the auction finally came to an end. Xiao Hongchen won the 100,000-year soul beast embryo at an astronomical price of 150 million gold soul coins. "150 million gold soul coins… You're insane," Su Yu muttered, tongue-tied. He couldn't believe how willing Xiao Hongchen was to spend money. The amount Su Yu had spent earlier seemed like nothing in comparison. "To obtain a 100,000-year soul beast embryo, it's all worth it," Xiao Hongchen said, clearly caught in a state of extreme excitement. With the 100,000-year soul beast embryo finally in his hands, it was no wonder he was so thrilled. If he could obtain an additional martial soul, his talent would increase by another level. At that point, even when compared to Su Yu, he wouldn't feel inferior. It would be the most supreme talent in the world. Just thinking about the chance to catch up to Su Yu made him so excited he could barely contain himself. Xiao Hongchen had never allowed himself to be inferior to anyone in his entire life. After the excitement subsided, Xiao Hongchen turned to Elder Ma and said, "Elder Ma, this 100,000-year soul beast embryo is a hot potato. As soon as the deal is complete, you must return to our academy with it immediately." "As long as it's inside Illustrious Virtue Hall and in my grandfather's hands, I'd like to see who dares to touch it." Elder Ma nodded in agreement. "I will use Illustrious Virtue Hall's secret channels to return. No one will notice." With the final item of the auction sold, the top-tier auction officially came to a close. It's worth noting that the person personally handling the transfer of the 100,000-year soul beast embryo was none other than Xu Jiawei himself. Four Titled Douluo escorted him to ensure its security. Xu Jiujiu stood quietly to the side, her beautiful smile radiant as she exuded a noble and elegant aura in her golden gown.