Three days later.
Located in the central area of Vast Sea City.
A nine-story tower, the headquarters of the Nine Treasure Commerce Guild, served as the venue for this auction.
The tower was designed to taper from bottom to top, much like the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
The first floor housed ordinary seating, accessible to commoners and soul masters for a fee.
The second floor consisted of VIP rooms, pricier than the ordinary seats, equipped with soul tools for bidding without shouting.
The third floor featured Supreme VIP rooms, outfitted with various lifestyle soul tools for bidding, symbolizing status and strength.
Before the auction began, occupants of these rooms received partial information about the auction items, including some details about the finale items.
Without at least Soul Douluo-level strength or a prominent identity, one couldn't access the Supreme VIP rooms.
The auction was about to start.
The first floor was nearly packed, the second-floor VIP rooms brightly lit.
Even on the third floor, four Supreme VIP rooms had their lights on.
Supreme VIP Room 1 housed Ning Rongrong and her group.
Supreme VIP Room 2 was reserved by the Demon Empress and her daughter.
As the top authority of the Nine Treasure Commerce Guild, Ning Rongrong naturally had access to information about the occupants of Supreme VIP Rooms 3 and 4.
Supreme VIP Room 3 was occupied by Golden Crocodile Douluo.
Supreme VIP Room 4 was absurd—it held a large group, including Sea God Island's High Priest Bo Saixi.
Looking at the list of auction participants, Ning Rongrong felt a headache coming on.
"This is ridiculous!"
"So many Limit Douluo, and I'm the only one who might have to control the scene."
If someone snatched the auction items, it would be a massive embarrassment.
She hoped a certain cat-girl-obsessed Sect Leader Ning would hurry up with reinforcements. If something went wrong, she wouldn't care about the Nine Treasure Commerce Guild's reputation—she'd just grab some people and run.
As long as the mountain remains, there's no fear of running out of firewood.
As the auction's overseer, Ning Yun wasn't in Ning Rongrong's Supreme VIP room.
He stood beside the auction platform, holding a sound-amplifying soul tool.
"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this auction. The items up for bid today are the highest quality ever offered by the Nine Treasure Commerce Guild in Vast Sea City. We hope you'll participate enthusiastically."
"Without further ado, let's bring out the first auction item."
With that, Ning Yun stepped aside, allowing the emcee and the auctioneer to wheel out a cart draped in red cloth.
As usual, the first auction item was a healing pill.
Sea soul masters, who frequently ventured to sea, were particularly keen on such pills.
These were lifesavers—being able to recover health at sea was invaluable.
Not everyone could afford an auxiliary soul master, and auxiliary soul masters were rare.
But pills? Plenty of people could afford those.
Moreover, the Nine Treasure Commerce Guild accepted all sorts of rare treasures, which could be appraised for gold soul coins, further fueling the adventurous spirit of sea soul masters.
Getting rich overnight.
Then retiring—who wouldn't want that?
Ning Yun quietly observed as the emcee and auctioneer presented one item after another.
He stood at a distance, not obstructing anyone's view. As the overseer, a single appearance was enough.
Wang Quan Fugui, however, stood near the platform, keeping an eye on the surroundings.
In Supreme VIP Room 4.
Bo Saixi watched calmly as the auction played out on the soul tool screen.
To be honest, this was her first time in Vast Sea City in over a decade, and the changes were striking.
A dazzling array of soul tools capable of transforming lives.
Like the live broadcast screen in front of her.
She recalled a similar soul tool setup from the Soul Master Tournament a few years ago.
Bo Saixi sighed inwardly.
"No wonder the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan shakes the faith of sea soul masters."
The Sea God was a matter of faith, but he didn't save soul masters in danger at sea—pills and soul tools did.
Even a low-tier lifestyle soul tool, like a first-tier Water-Wood Boat soul tool, could give a soul master a chance to drift back to Vast Sea City in a crisis.
A glimpse reveals the whole picture.
The Nine Treasure Commerce Guild spanned the entire continent.
Take Vast Sea City alone.
The gold soul coins collected year-round were enough to make soul masters green with envy.
It was said that both pills and soul tools were highly secure against theft.
No one outside the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan could replicate them, making them even more valuable.
"Lord Sea God..."
"You may have made a mistake," Bo Saixi's gaze shifted from the screen, slowly turning to a rather handsome young man.
"As someone undergoing the Sea God's Nine Trials, you can access some of Sea God Island's resources."
"I brought thirty million gold soul coins, which you can use."
"I hope you won't forget Sea God Island's kindness." With that, Bo Saixi stepped forward, handing an unmarked gold soul coin card to Tang San. "Be cautious with this matter."
"Yes, Sea God Island's kindness is etched in my heart," Tang San said, accepting the card. As a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Clan, he wasn't short on funds, but receiving such a sum was still astonishing.
"Tang San, is there anything you want to buy?" Bo Saixi asked.
"Yes."
Taking others' money comes with obligations. Tang San told Bo Saixi what he wanted.
"The two finale items," Bo Saixi murmured. "A sixth-tier melee soul tool and a seventy-thousand-year soul bone. From what I know of prices, we might not have enough."
"Don't worry, I brought some funds too," Tang San said. "Plus, I sold some Tang Sect hidden weapons earlier, so we should have enough to secure both finale items."
As occupants of a Supreme VIP room, they naturally received information about the auction items.
But to maintain an air of mystery, the Nine Treasure Commerce Guild only revealed half.
"It's said the finale includes a sixth-tier melee soul tool and a soul bone over seventy thousand years."
That was enough for Tang San—these two items were as good as his.
If not, they would be.
"Anyone who dares steal from me, Tang San, is already on the path to death."
As items were auctioned off one by one, the event neared its climax.
The Tang Sect had burst onto the scene.
In their previous war with the Heaven Dou Empire, items like the Zhuge Divine Crossbow had fetched impressive prices.
Finally, when the emcee announced only two items remained, Tang San perked up.
If he could integrate hidden weapons into a soul tool, addressing its flaws, the Tang Sect's strength would soar.
Thus, Tang San was fixated on high-tier soul tools.
Low-tier soul tools remained elusive, but high-tier ones were different. Their complex arrays might reveal commonalities.
Even if he couldn't analyze the soul tool, it could still be used by others.
Like Oscar.
Tang San had brought him into the Tang Sect. Currently a level 52 auxiliary soul master, a sixth-tier soul tool would make him safer.
An auxiliary soul master with innate full soul power was practically guaranteed to become a Title Douluo. For his brother, Tang San was willing to be generous.
Of course, that was only if he confirmed he couldn't analyze the soul tool.
If he accidentally broke it during analysis, well, that was Oscar's fate.
Regardless of Tang San's thoughts, the emcee had already wheeled up one of the finale items—a soul tool.
The cart was twice the size of the previous ones, the soul tool still covered in red cloth.
The soul masters in the audience tensed, gasps echoing through the room.
Aside from Ning Rongrong, the other three VIP rooms seemed highly interested in the soul tool.