Peerless Tang Sect: Hurricane Infinite Wind

Chapter 88 Soul-Eating Carving Knife
Entering the auction hall, a five-meter-wide staircase covered with red carpet extended all the way down.

Going down for about 20 meters, they finally reached the registration place. Wang Yan had completed these tedious formalities before bringing everyone here, and handed everyone a number plate. With the number plates, a girl in a red dress led them inside.

Passing through a simple wooden door, the scene suddenly changed. All they could see was a golden expanse. A wide corridor was resplendent in gold, its lavish decor even surpassing the Xinghuang Hotel where they were staying.

The passage is more than ten meters wide, and the ground is paved with precious ivory white jade bricks. Every ten meters on both sides, there is a pair of pillars made of the same material with gorgeous patterns carved on them, and the walls seem to be covered with gold foil. The patterns carved on them are complex and gorgeous.

From the ceiling, magnificent crystal chandeliers hung, yet the corridor felt anything but oppressive, for the passage reached a full five meters. The light was a soft, bright yellow, and against the backdrop of the golden walls on either side, the three-dimensional golden world was enough to dazzle anyone.

Wang Yan whispered, "Don't be fooled by its unassuming appearance. This is actually the largest auction house in Xingluo City. Getting a spot in the auction is quite difficult. Not only does it require proof of assets, but it also requires an appraisal. It was only with Dai Yuheng's help that we were able to gain entry."

As they were talking, they were led by the etiquette lady into a door. Obviously, this was not the end of the corridor. There was a similar door in front. At the farthest point, there were stairs extending downwards, and no one knew where they led to.

Bei Bei seemed accustomed to everything here, not constantly looking around like Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, and Jiang Nannan. He asked the etiquette lady who opened the door for them, "Could you please give us a brief introduction to the specifications of today's auction?"

The etiquette lady said respectfully, "Okay. Today's auction is a special auction for soul guides. Since we will only auction soul guides below level six, the specifications are relatively low. According to the grading system, it can only be considered a level four auction. Our Starlight Auction House grades from one to five, with level one being the highest specification. Only level one auctions are held in the main auction hall. This is Hall 12, which can accommodate two hundred people bidding simultaneously. It is specifically used for level four auctions."

Beibei nodded and said: "Thank you."

"It's only a fourth-level auction, it's a bit low! Wouldn't that mean there would be at most one or two fifth-level defensive soul guides?" Wu Xuan frowned.

A fourth-level defensive soul guide can only defend against attacks from a fourth-ringed soul master, and has little effect against attacks from a soul king. Therefore, the auction of one or two fifth-level soul guides is not even the icing on the cake for the Shrek people.

Xu Sanshi hooked Wu Xuan's shoulder and lowered his voice, "It's level four, so just buy it and use it first. As for the level five soul guide, Teacher Wang will definitely find a way. Wu Xuan, you may not understand the academy yet. The academy has no shortage of money, and they are most willing to spend money on us core disciples."

"It's good that you don't lack money!" Wu Xuan smiled. In fact, he was not short of money. The day before, he sold the left leg bone of the 40,000-year-old wind tiger that he won as the champion of the freshman qualifying competition directly to the Starlight Auction House at a high price.

As a result, he obtained a deposit of more than 20 million gold soul coins, so Wu Xuan is not short of money at all now. If he does not buy incredible things like soul bones, he will not be able to spend all this money in his lifetime.

Entering Auction Room No. 12, the light suddenly dimmed, as only the surrounding walls were lit by wall lamps. Everyone who entered the auction room received a beautiful mask. Wu Xuan and the others received white masks.

The décor inside the auction hall was a completely different experience: simple, elegant, luxurious, yet warm and inviting. Just walking in gave him a sense of comfort. Two hundred large, comfortable chairs, covered in deep blue velvet, were arranged in a curved pattern. Wu Xuan and his companions were seated in the first row, closest to the auction table.

Wang Yan reminded, "Everyone, please wear masks. There may be various problems when participating in an auction at an auction house, so the auction house provides masks to cover the guests' appearance to avoid trouble. The color of the mask is also used to distinguish the level of the guests. It is the same as the color grading of our spirit rings. The lowest is white, and the colors go up in order. The gold color, which is above the red, is the top VIP of this auction house. They usually don't appear in this kind of auction house with scattered seats."

Several people took drinks from the waiter and sat in their seats waiting for the auction to begin.

"Welcome to the Starlight Auction House. Our auction is about to begin. Please take your seats." A beautiful female voice came from all directions, and the auction room fell silent. The wall lamps, which were not very bright to begin with, gradually dimmed, while the lights on the auction table gradually became brighter.

A woman in a purple long dress walked onto the stage from one side of the auction hall. She looked to be about thirty years old, with a dignified and beautiful appearance and a faint smile on her face. As she walked, she looked around gracefully, and the well-tailored long dress perfectly outlined her mature body curves.

Xu Sanshi's eyes suddenly straightened, his Adam's apple moved, and he couldn't help but swallow half a mouthful of saliva.

Seeing Jiang Nannan's disdainful look, Xu Sanshi quickly sat up straight and pretended to be serious.

At this time, the purple-skirted auctioneer on the stage had walked behind the auction case with a smile on her face, and a soft female voice echoed softly in Auction Hall No. 12 with the help of the amplified soul guide on the auction case.

"Good evening, distinguished guests, I am Qingya, a purple-level auctioneer from Starlight Auction House, and I will be hosting the auction today."

After saying that, she walked out from behind the auction, bowed to the audience with a smile, and immediately received a round of applause.

After returning to the table, Qingya smiled and said, "Today's auction is a special auction for soul guides. All the items are soul guides below level 6. They are suitable for soul masters and soul guides with the cultivation level of Soul King and below. At the same time, in order to make the trip worthwhile for all the distinguished guests, we have one last mysterious gift item. Dear distinguished guests, don't miss it. Our auction starts now, please ask the staff to present the first item of today."

Two girls in red skirts pushed a small cart onto the auction stage. The cart was covered with a purple cloth. They pushed the cart to the middle and stopped it, then lifted the cloth.

A black soul guide appeared on the cart. This soul guide was rectangular in shape, about a foot long, and had complex patterns engraved on it.

Auctioneer Qingya smiled and said, "Our number one lot is a third-level attack soul guide, the soul guide paralysis ray. It has low user requirements but is very practical. It is a rare and exquisite third-level soul guide. The starting price is one thousand gold soul coins, and each bid must be no less than fifty gold soul coins. Start now."

As soon as Qing Ya finished speaking, someone immediately raised a sign, "Thirteen hundred gold soul coins."

As auctioneer Qingya said, although this soul guide is not of high grade, it is extremely practical and can be used by a fourth-ring soul master. And its low usage requirements are actually its greatest advantage.

Therefore, the auction price kept rising and soon passed the mark of two thousand gold soul coins.

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

Auctioneer Qingya's eyes lit up, and she smiled at the masked Wang Yan. "VIP number 166 bids 2,500 gold soul coins. Anyone else want to add more?"

The auctioneer earns his income by taking commissions from the auction items. For example, if the cost price of an item is 100 yuan and it is sold for 200 yuan, then the auction house will directly take 10% of the total amount as a fee, and the auctioneer will take 1/1000 of the 100 yuan that exceeds the cost.

Don't underestimate the number of one thousandth. Even for a level 4 auction, it is normal to earn more than 100,000 gold soul coins. As the largest auction house in Xingluo City and even in the entire Xingluo Empire, there are several auctions almost every day. Some high-level auctioneers often only appear once a month and can earn extremely high commissions.

Therefore, when Qingya saw Wang Yan directly raise the price by 500, she was naturally happy. As a purple-level auctioneer, she knew very well that in many cases, the price of the first item would determine the price trend of the entire auction. Although this first item was not very expensive, if the premium was high enough, it would definitely be a good start.

As soon as the number of 2,500 came out, the whole audience fell silent, and the bidders who were hesitating before no longer thought about it. This price was obviously a lot higher than the previous one.

"Two thousand five hundred gold soul coins. One bid." After Qingya inquired several times and no one bid, she began the final three bids. This was when the grandeur of a top-tier auction house was revealed. Smaller auction houses would delay these final three bids as much as possible, but Qingya didn't. She called out the three bids in quick succession.

"Bang." The auction hammer banged on the table. "Deal. This Soul Guide Paralysis Ray belongs to VIP No. 166. Thank you for your generosity." Qingya smiled sweetly at Wang Yan again. Wang Yan nodded gently to her.

"Who among you will use this soul guide device?" Wang Yan turned his head and asked everyone.

Beibei was the first to speak up, "Teacher Wang, give this soul-guided paralysis ray to Yuhao. He's the most suitable among us to use this soul-guided device."

No one else had any objections. After all, apart from Xu Sanshi, what they wanted most was a defensive soul guide.

The auction continued, and as a special sale for soul guides, there were indeed many fine items. The vast majority were level three to four soul guides. Wang Yan, through his frequent purchases, had single-handedly purchased over a dozen soul guides and distributed them among the group.

As expected, only two defensive soul guides above level five were auctioned, and both were won by Wang Yan.

One of them was given to Wu Xuan and the other was given to Bei Bei.

The second-to-last item, a level four milk bottle, is an auxiliary soul guide device, which Wang Yan also gave to Wu Xuan.

After pushing the cart off the stage, Qingya walked to the front of the auction table, her pretty face slightly flushed. She lowered her voice a bit and said, "Dear guests, our mysterious gift is about to appear. This is also the last item tonight. Originally, it should not appear here. But in order to thank all the distinguished guests for their continued support for Starlight, with the permission of our chief auctioneer, we have specially added this item. Although its price is very high, I believe that everyone who truly understands it will feel that it is worth the money. Now, please ask our etiquette lady to push this mysterious gift up."

The cart slowly came up from the side of the auction table. Different from the previous auctions, this time the cart was not only larger, but the cloth on it was changed to a bright red.

Everything in this Starlight Auction House is related to color, with gold being the most noble, followed by red, which is the same as the hundred thousand year soul ring.

This shows how extraordinary this mysterious gift is.

Soon, it had been pushed to the center of the stage, next to Qingya Auctioneer.

Judging from the shape of the cloth, the size of this lot seems to be quite large.

At this moment, Huo Yuhao's entire body suddenly trembled violently, and he covered his eyes with his hands, his entire body shaking continuously, startling Bei Bei who was standing next to him.

On the stage, auctioneer Qingya has already started the introduction.

"Everyone must be very curious about what this mysterious gift is. It's getting late, and Qingya never keeps people in suspense. This mysterious gift can be regarded as the most common but also the most indispensable close friend for soul masters. Every soul master must have it. However, our last auction item today is completely different. It is not a soul guide device, so I said it should not be here. However, it has a very close relationship with soul masters. Before I lift the curtain, let me say one last thing. With its value and rarity, it can be listed in our top auction of Starlight Auction House. Everyone, please have a look."

At the moment when the cloth was lifted, everyone's eyes were drawn to it. What appeared was an item that looked ordinary and could not be more ordinary. Just as Qingya said, this was something that any soul guide was very familiar with and indispensable.

The item itself is very small, about half a foot long and only as thick as a finger. From bottom to top, it changes from wide to narrow, with a very sharp tip at the top and a half-inch wide blade at the bottom. The whole is simple and black, with faint patterns engraved on it, exuding a faint ancient atmosphere. But a little gloomy.

Many bidders let out dissatisfied sighs. Obviously, they did not feel that this mysterious gift brought them any surprises. But a few people's pupils were shrinking rapidly, and they were shocked by the appearance of this item.

Engraving knife. Yes, this is the carving knife that a soul guide uses to engrave the core array. Both ends of the carving knife have their uses, and their uses are different when engraving different arrays. Any soul guide cannot do without a carving knife, which is a necessity for making soul guides.

Qingya introduced, "I think everyone is familiar with the carving knife. It is a must-have for all soul masters, and it is even more indispensable for high-level soul masters. The carving knife you see before you is one of the top 100 carving knives on the list."

There was an uproar in the audience after hearing Qingya's introduction.

Even Wang Yan instantly became alert. The ranking engraving knife was of great significance to Shrek Academy. Even Shrek only had two ranking engraving knives, which were in the hands of the Soul Guidance Department Dean Xian Lin'er and Fan Yu.

The suddenly heated atmosphere in the audience brought a dazzling smile to Qingya's pretty face. She was not in a hurry at all and waited for more than five minutes before the bidders in the audience gradually calmed down.

"Auctioneer Qingya, what are you waiting for? Start bidding." Someone couldn't help but urge.

Qingya smiled and said, "Dear guests, please don't be impatient. As everyone knows, our Xingguang Auction House has always been known for its honesty and integrity. We will guarantee the quality of any item that comes out of us. We will never let any defective or problematic items be handed over to you without explanation. So, please allow me to finish what I have to say."

As he spoke, Qingya looked at the ancient carving knife with some regret, sighed softly, and said, "If this is just a normal ranking carving knife, then, you distinguished guests should have expected that it would never appear here. Ranking carving knives are always among the most precious in the world of soul masters, and are even more precious than some rare materials. The reason why this ranking carving knife appears as the finale of today's fourth-level auction is because it has certain problems."

"In the ranking of carving knives, it ranks 99th. In fact, with its ability, it shouldn't be ranked so low. It should even be in the top 30. The reason for its low ranking is mainly because it is a cursed carving knife. It is known as the Soul Devouring Carving Knife."

"The Soul Devouring Knife has a history of more than three thousand years. Three thousand years ago, it appeared in the Sun-Moon Empire. Its creator was a brilliant soul guide. It is said that this soul guide finally reached the ninth level. Moreover, he is not only a soul guide, but also a soul master, a terrible evil soul master. As early as three thousand years ago, he brought a bloody storm to the continent."

"The Soul Devouring Knife was made by the evil soul master in his later years. It is said that not long after he made the knife, he met his greatest enemy. This genius, but also a fierce man, died. When he died, he did not bring the Soul Devouring Knife with him. As time went by, this fierce knife was lost among the people."

"In the history traced by our Starlight Auction House, this murderous blade has had a total of thirty-seven owners. However, without exception, all of these thirty-seven people ultimately met tragic deaths. Nine of them became evil spirit masters. According to legend, this murderous blade, the Soul Devourer, contains a trace of the soul of the genius evil spirit master from that time, which can lead people to evil. It can only be wielded by those with a strong will, and it must never be used frequently. Therefore, its ranking has fallen again and again, finally reaching a point where it can no longer fall."

"It's only because of its history and past glory that it's never been removed from the list of top-ranked carving knives. Those who love it have always hoped it would find a true owner. We hope its owner is of the light attribute, so it will be difficult for it to harm them. Of course, we don't fully understand this carving knife, so please be cautious when purchasing. What we can guarantee is that as long as you don't inject soul power into it, it won't harm its owner. Therefore, as a top-ranked carving knife, it is a very good collectible."

After listening to Qingya's long introduction, everyone finally understood why a ranking engraving knife would appear at the fourth-level auction. Many people who were eager to try remained silent.

As a ranking knife, the price of this Soul Devourer would never be too low. And no matter how good a ranking knife is, it cannot be compared with life! If you buy it at a high price and can't use it, wouldn't it be a waste? After all, this is only a fourth-level auction, and the people who come to participate are not so wealthy, so many people are hesitant.

(End of this chapter)