Chapter 19: The Final Auction Item
"In the legends of the Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly clan, it's said that the progenitor of their species cultivated its innate ability to the pinnacle, able to create an entirely real world from an illusion."
"Perhaps it is precisely because this soul beast was too mysterious and powerful, with extremely demanding survival conditions and heavily restricted reproduction, that it became so difficult for the species to propagate."
"Maybe, by now, this type of soul beast has truly gone extinct on the Douluo Continent."
The Ice Empress revealed the secrets of the Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly clan.
After all, she hadn't expected to ever encounter a head soul bone from one of them again.
And this soul bone seemed practically tailor-made for Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes martial soul.
"Such a terrifying soul beast..."
At this moment, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but take a deep breath. From the Ice Empress's words, he realized just how rare and precious this soul beast truly was.
He clenched his fists, silently making up his mind. He had to successfully win this soul bone in the auction.
With this soul bone, his Spirit Eyes martial soul would surely receive a tremendous boost, and it would also serve as greater protection on his future path of cultivation.
"Yuhao, the soul skill that may be born from this soul bone is likely the Illusory Dream Domain. Even if it isn't, just based on the mysterious nature of this soul beast, whatever skill emerges will definitely not disappoint you."
Skydream gently urged Huo Yuhao from the side, knowing full well how important this soul bone was for him.
"Five million gold soul coins."
Without waiting for anyone else to bid, Huo Yuhao quickly raised his bidding paddle and called out the price loudly.
"Yuhao, are you planning to win this spiritual-type head soul bone?"
Beibei glanced at Huo Yuhao and quietly asked.
Then it occurred to him—Huo Yuhao's martial soul was the Spirit Eyes, a spiritual-type martial soul.
This Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly's head soul bone was extremely compatible with him, though the soul skill remained uncertain.
Beibei felt a bit uneasy. After all, this was an enormous expenditure. If the soul skill turned out to be subpar, the cost might outweigh the gain.
But he also knew Huo Yuhao's personality—once he made up his mind, it was hard to change it.
"This spiritual-type soul bone, though its skill is unknown, is of excellent quality and suits your Spirit Eyes martial soul very well."
Elder Mu spoke slowly.
He had observed the soul bone closely and could judge its exceptional quality from the aura it emitted.
He also supported Huo Yuhao's decision to bid for it. In his view, Huo Yuhao had great potential, and this soul bone might be a key to his future growth.
"Six million gold soul coins."
Just then, another soul master made a bid, the voice coming from a corner of the auction hall.
With Huo Yuhao's opening bid, the competition officially began.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the auction hall turned tense.
"..."
The price kept climbing, each bid making hearts race faster.
"Nine million gold soul coins."
When another soul master called out nine million, Huo Yuhao hadn't raised his paddle again.
His brows furrowed slightly, a trace of hesitation in his eyes.
After all, he didn't have that many gold soul coins. Though he desperately wanted this soul bone, reality was proving to be a harsh obstacle.
Elder Mu noticed Huo Yuhao's hesitation and smiled gently as he said, "Yuhao, don't worry about anything. Just keep bidding. If it's not enough, the academy will cover the rest for you."
Elder Mu's voice was calm and firm. He understood what Huo Yuhao was worried about.
"Thank you, Elder Mu. But I will repay the academy as soon as possible for this portion of the gold soul coins."
Huo Yuhao responded with gratitude.
Although he had received the academy's support, he didn't want to accept it for free.
He planned to take on more dangerous missions in the future, to earn gold soul coins through his own efforts and pay back Shrek Academy.
Upon hearing this, Elder Mu sighed and shook his head.
He understood Huo Yuhao's character—this child had a strong sense of pride and was extremely hardworking.
Elder Mu didn't say more, quietly waiting for the bidding to continue, while inwardly anticipating the appearance of the auction's final item.
...
Soon, more than ten minutes passed, and the price had skyrocketed to nineteen million gold soul coins.
At this point, all eyes in the auction hall were fixed on Huo Yuhao and a Soul Douluo-level expert from the Dou Ling Empire.
The two of them were going back and forth, refusing to back down, and the competition had reached a fever pitch.
Everyone else had already withdrawn. Even though this was a spiritual-type soul bone—relatively rare—the uncertainty of its soul skill kept most people away.
And to be fair, the price was starting to feel inflated. Many believed that paying such a high price for a soul bone with an unknown skill simply wasn't worth it.
"Twenty million gold soul coins."
Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth. His palms were drenched in sweat, and his heart was pounding wildly.
He hadn't expected the price to climb so high. His eyes locked onto the soul master from the Dou Ling Empire, silently hoping the other would finally give up.
Perhaps his prayers were answered. The soul master from the Dou Ling Empire let out a sigh and lowered his bidding paddle.
A moment later, Ling Yun scanned the room, her gaze sweeping slowly across every corner to confirm that no one else was bidding. Then she calmly said:
"Twenty million gold soul coins, once."
"Twenty million gold soul coins, twice."
"Twenty million gold soul coins, three times."
With Ling Yun's final call, the entire auction hall seemed to freeze in time.
"Since there are no further bids, I now declare this Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly head soul bone sold to the soul master in room 8 on the second floor."
Ling Yun announced.
"Hu!"
As Huo Yuhao heard that he had successfully won the soul bone, he let out a long sigh of relief and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.
Thankfully, the result was a good one—even if it had cost him a fortune.
But just thinking about the power boost this head soul bone could bring made him feel at ease.
"Alright, the fourth item has found its new owner. Next up is the highlight of today's auction—the final auction item."
Ling Yun's voice rang out again, breaking the brief silence.
"I believe most of you came today precisely for this final item."
A mysterious smile appeared on Ling Yun's face, one that seemed to conceal countless secrets.
The next moment, without further suspense, Ling Yun raised her hand. A surge of powerful soul power swept out, and above the auction platform, a medium-sized transparent orb slowly began to float.
(END CHAPTER)