Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

"Wait!" Kong Tianxu called out to her.

"You can't bear to part with me?" Ma Xiaotao turned around, her eyes sparkling.

"Didn't you ask me what ability I used that day?" Kong Tianxu also asked with a smile.

"Let me tell you, that is my control over the gold element. All element users who are not at my level will be completely suppressed by me, or even be controlled by me."

Ma Xiaotao stared at him blankly for a while, then finally raised her fist and said fiercely:

"Idiot, you're telling others about such an important ability. Aren't you afraid I'll tell the rest of the academy?"

"You're not just anyone."

Ma Xiaotao turned around, waved her hand dismissively, but what she said shocked Kong Tianxu to the core.

"If you weren't so young, I'd ruin you like a used-up flower, leaving you unwanted and with no choice but to follow me. Humph! Let's go!"

She gently closed the door.

That hand was trembling slightly.

She would never tell.

Kong Tianxu watched her figure, which was trying to remain calm but couldn't hide her emotion, disappear into the distance, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly:

"Zhong Liyuan certainly has a knack for dealing with women."

Chapter 107 The Prelude to Change and the Glorious Ashes of Soul Bone

Night falls, and the city lights begin to twinkle.

It has been quite some time since the start of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, and most teams have left this place of heartbreak. However, the crowds in Star Luo City have actually increased compared to when the tournament started.

The bustling crowd moved about, almost completely blocking the most prosperous and widest street in Xingluo City in front of the Xinghuang Hotel.

After changing into casual clothes, Kong Tianxu and the others left the hotel amidst the crowd.

They were all Soul Masters, and even without using their Soul Power, their aura alone was enough to deter ordinary people. They easily broke through the encirclement under Kong Deming's leadership.

Kong Tianxu looked down at Xu Tianzhen, who was looking around in his arms, and then glanced at the architectural style around him, which was completely different from that of the Sun and Moon Empire. He then realized that he had not stepped out of the hotel and the arena since he arrived in Xingluo City, and had not properly explored this ancient capital.

There will be opportunities in the future.

However, there was something else that piqued his curiosity—Huo Yuhao had been severely suppressed by him in this competition. Apart from the first few matches where he frequently embarrassed himself, he didn't even have many opportunities to play later on, so naturally he didn't attract much attention.

It remains to be seen whether Emperor Xu Jiawei of the Star Luo Clan will still choose the 70,000-year-old Ice Jade Scorpion's left arm bone, which contains the Ice Explosion Divine Skill, as an auction item to curry favor with Shrek Academy.

There's also the Investiture of the Gods Platform...

Kong Tianxu sneered and continued to follow his grandfather, skillfully turning through several streets. For the past period, except when he was competing, this number one Sun Moon expert had been elusive, but now it seemed he had completely mastered the surrounding terrain.

Finally, the group stopped in front of a pointed-roof building.

The building was inconspicuous; although not small in size compared to the surrounding tall buildings, it did not stand out. Above the main entrance hung a plaque engraved with an exquisite hammer pattern, below which was a golden tabletop pattern—the symbol of the unified auction house of Douluo Continent.

Two young women dressed in black dresses were already waiting at the door. After exchanging pleasantries, one of them gracefully led the group inside.

Strangely, even though only eight invitations were checked, none of the nine people, including Kong Deming, were stopped, as if Kong Deming did not exist, which made Xiao Hongchen and the others secretly gasp in amazement.

However, they dared not ask too many questions about the extraordinary abilities displayed by this Grand Tutor, and Old Ma simply took it all for granted.

Unlike the unremarkable exterior, the interior of the auction house was even more luxurious than the Star Emperor Hotel where Kong Tianxu and his group were staying. As they walked to the end of the corridor, two pretty girls in gold dresses who had been waiting there greeted them.

They first bowed slightly to the crowd, then exchanged a few words in hushed tones with the woman in the black dress who was leading the way. One of the girls turned to the wall and raised her hand as if to press down.

A strange scene unfolded—first, water-ripple-like light patterns appeared on the wall, then the girl placed her palm on it, and a horizontal light pattern swept down from top to bottom. With a buzzing sound, the wall slowly slid open to both sides, revealing a passage.

Unlike the opulent gold and silver exterior, this passageway is pure white, not a cold, stark white, but a soft, milky white.

The floor, ceiling, and walls were all paved with a translucent white jade. Beneath the jade, the intricate dark patterns that Kong Tianxu could see in detail were more subtle and complex than the core magic array patterns of the external passage.

Soft white light shines from all directions, outlining pale blue halos on both sides of the roof, creating a scene like a dreamlike starry sky.

To the woman in the black dress's surprise, this passage, which was built using the top design resources of Star Luo, failed to cause the slightest ripple among the students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

The reason is simple: similar things have already been thoroughly exploited in the Sun and Moon Empire.

Having been rebuffed, the woman in the black dress abandoned all her attempts to display national power and dutifully performed her duties, leading everyone into VIP room number two in the corridor. She then gestured for two girls in gold dresses, who were completely different from the previous ones, to gently press their hands on the smooth wall.

What happened next made Kong Deming, who had remained calm throughout, frown.

A soft halo of light began to shimmer across the entire wall. The light gradually intensified, and the wall slowly transformed into a giant screen.

The light guide screen is a device that transmits images in a special way. Its core magic array is not driven by soul power, but originates from a special mineral unique to the Sun and Moon Empire.

Although the energy emitted by this ore is very gentle and weak, and cannot power offensive or defensive soul tools, but can only power some soul tools with low energy requirements, it is still one of the important achievements of the Sun Moon Empire in the civilian application of soul tools in recent years.

Its presence here means that this technology, which is not highly classified but is definitely classified, has been learned by Xingluo, and it also exposes the existence of gray channels within the Sun Moon Empire for the large-scale sale of its unique resources.

Leaning back in his chair without making a sound, Kong Deming exchanged a glance with Kong Tianxu. He already knew what his grandson had invited him here specifically to see.

The light guide screen gradually became clear. Patterns appeared on both sides, while a stage-like area appeared in the center. A soft, non-glaring golden light emanated from the screen, then gradually subsided, and a melodious voice rang out:

"Welcome, distinguished guests, to the Starlight Auction House's premier auction. Tonight, we will be presenting nine precious items, listed in order of value from lowest to highest. We hope you will enjoy them."

The Soul Guidance Screen became clear again, and the previous platform was now shrouded in a layer of pale white light. In the center of the platform stood a girl in a red dress.

It was indeed a long time ago.

After a brief self-introduction, the image of the first item appeared on the light guide screen, followed by a long, drawn-out sound:

"The Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Blade, a Level 8 Close-Combat Soul Guidance Device..."

Upon hearing the words "Level 8 Melee Soul Guidance Device," Kong Deming and the others from Sun Moon had a premonition. Sure enough, in the end, the words "Mingde Hall" appeared on Xu Jiujiu's lips.

Then came the second item: a complete set of twelve level-six fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells, each possessing the attributes of water, fire, earth, wind, light, darkness, poison, lightning, frost, metal, explosiveness, and paralysis.

Similarly, it also originated from Mingdetang.

Kong Deming's expression had turned very unpleasant. If the previous Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Blade was an isolated case of a high-level soul master from Mingde Hall who was in a hurry to use money to smuggle it abroad, then this set of fixed-position soul guide shells was already challenging his bottom line.

If it falls into the hands of a force with a high level of soul guidance, such as Shrek Academy, their research and development level of fixed soul guidance devices will definitely be greatly improved.

Fixed-position soul tools have always been one of the most important defensive barriers for the Sun Moon Empire.

"Buy it."

Kong Deming spoke softly, and Kong Tianxu immediately understood, turning to the woman in the black dress whose mind had already been partially controlled by the Holy Spirit Puppet and asking in a low voice:

"How many seconds does it take to place a bid?"

The other party was worried about the lack of interest in this item, and upon hearing this, immediately exclaimed with delight:

"moment."

Kong Tianxu nodded slightly. He remembered that Shrek Academy was also determined to get this set of custom-made soul tools, and they were used to raising the price at the last second, and the amount was always very precise.

Let them experience what it's like to be stuck.

A hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.

"Five, four, three, two, one."

Just as the countdown reached its final second, Kong Tianxu instantly entered the price—

On the screen, the number 650,000, which was about to solidify, first jumped to 655,000, but at the moment it was completely frozen, it suddenly became 655,001.

No further changes.

VIP Room One.

Wang Yan, whose eyes had been gleaming with wisdom, suddenly froze on the spot. Qingya, the black-level auctioneer accompanying them, had already pretended to cover her cherry-like mouth in surprise, preparing to utter words of praise, but seeing this scene, she couldn't say a word and could only awkwardly offer a word of comfort:

"It's okay, Teacher Wang. We were just a little bit short. You've already done a great job."

However, looking at the somewhat humiliating gold soul coin on the screen, Wang Yan just couldn't get over it.

He Caitou rubbed his bald head in frustration. If he missed this rare and precious fixed-mount soul-guided cannon shell, he didn't know when the academy's soul-guided department's research on fixed-mount soul-guided devices would see another boom.

On the other hand, the black-level auctioneer on Kong Tianxu's side was all smiles. She was originally in charge of this item, and with the added bonus and performance points for successful bids from the guests, she immediately began to introduce it to everyone with even more enthusiasm.

Xu Jiujiu seemed amused by the dramatic scene, chuckled, and continued the auction. Indeed, as she had said, the starting prices of the subsequent items increased one by one, with three soul bones, a rare metal produced by the Sun Moon Empire, and a ranged level eight soul tool appearing one after another.

Especially the last one, the Heaven-Opening Earth-Splitting Cannon, has a great reputation and its power is indeed amazing. Although it can only be used once a day, its power is comparable to the full-force attack of a level 95 Super Douluo.

As an eighth-level soul tool, it requires a cultivation level of Title Douluo to use. Although it was not produced by Mingde Hall, its creator was a ninth-level soul tool master who was not unfamiliar to everyone.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Kong Tianxu finally spoke:

“Grandpa, as you can see, our technology has actually been severely lost. The three kingdoms that originally belonged to the Douluo Continent actually developed rapidly over a few decades by constantly stealing the technology of the Empire. Although the gap is still huge, making this catch-up not obvious, it is hard to say what will happen if these three kingdoms with rich heritage are given a few more years.”

Kong Deming patted his hand and nodded knowingly. He had made quite a few discoveries in Xingluo City these past few days, but none were as direct and shocking as what was shown in this auction.

The other members of the group also looked thoughtful. They hadn't noticed this before, but after Kong Tianxu pointed it out, they were shocked to realize that in this competition alone, quite a few soul tools that the Sun Moon Empire had explicitly prohibited from being exported had appeared.

Knowing that he had achieved his goal, Kong Tianxu said no more, and Kong Deming did not ask him to buy the two items again, clearly intending to solve the problem at its source.

Upon returning to China, a bloody storm of reforms is bound to erupt among certain deeply entrenched interest groups.

No one but Kong Deming could push forward such a reform. Mingdetang wouldn't work, the imperial family wouldn't work, only Kong Deming, only Kong Deming.

This will also make it easier for him to control the overall situation in the future.

He squeezed Xu Tianzhen's hand, and the other looked at him obliviously, her large, dark eyes blinking:

"Tianxu?"

"fine."

Anyway, you'll be fine.

Kong Tianxu continued to look at the big screen, where the eighth item had been fully displayed.

It was a fiery red arm bone that was floating directly in the air, with a crimson halo flowing over it, creating a flame-like light and shadow effect. Even through the screen, one could almost feel the intense heat.

Five slender finger bones gripped downwards, each fingertip emitting a faint dark red light. This was the only unusual color on the entire soul bone, yet it made the whole piece appear even more refined and understated.

This soul bone is in excellent condition and is exceptionally beautiful. If Kong Tianxu hadn't seen the magnificent Silver Dragon Head Bone of Heavenly Punishment before him, he would probably have been instantly attracted to it as well.

Ultimately, things have changed. It's no longer the Ice Jade Scorpion's left arm bone from the original story, but has been replaced by this top-grade soul bone that is clearly of the fire attribute.

Thinking of this, Kong Tianxu touched the Heavenly Punishment Ring around his neck. This treasure had little effect on his spiritual power in the realm of tangible yet intangible things. Perhaps it was time for him to absorb his first soul bone.

At this moment, Xu Jiujiu's alluring voice rang out again, recounting the various advantages of this 70,000-year-old glorious ashes soul bone.

Although this soul bone is not as rare as the Ice Jade Scorpion's left arm bone, it is still among the top-tier soul bones in the Star Luo Royal Family's treasury. And the characteristics of this soul bone were not unexpected for Kong Tianxu, which to some extent relieved him of his predicament.