Chapter 2: Invitations Sent Out Widely, Causing Astonishment and Suspicion.
In the quiet room on the top floor of the auction house, Lin Yue closed his eyes and concentrated, his consciousness immersed in the system interface.
"System, display the list of currently redeemable items."
With a thought, a virtual screen emitting a faint blue light unfolded in his mind, displaying tens of thousands of goods, categorized and dazzling. From the lowest-grade healing pills to fragments of legendary artifacts, from basic soul power cultivation methods to forbidden techniques capable of destroying the world, it encompassed almost everything.
However, the vast majority of items are grayed out and unavailable, with a dauntingly high price tag of points next to them.
"It seems that 10,000 points won't buy anything particularly good." Lin Yue shook his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the lit redeemable items.
[Low-grade Soul Power Enhancement Pill: 500 points/pill]
[Ten-Year Soul Ring Simulator (One-Time Use): 800 Points/each]
[Centennial Soul Beast Positioning Compass: 1200 points/piece]
...
These low-level items were of little use to him at the moment. His gaze finally settled on one of the special categories:
[Basic Guardian of Auction House (Title Douluo Level): 5000 points/person] (Current Special Offer: Buy one get one free)
"No wonder they gave me two Peerless Douluo directly; it turns out it was a beginner's bonus." Lin Yue suddenly realized, gaining a deeper understanding of how the system worked.
After a moment's thought, he finally spent 2000 points to exchange for four "communication crystals". These crystals can transmit messages in real time over a range of thousands of miles, which is perfect for contacting Mo Chen.
He decided to keep the remaining 8,000 points for future use.
"Master." Mo Chen's voice came from outside the door, respectful but with a hint of solemnity, "Just now, a group of Soul Masters tried to approach the auction hall, but I persuaded them to turn back."
Lin Yue opened his eyes: "Dissuade me from leaving?"
Mo Chen lowered his head and said, "I punished one of them slightly, crippling his soul power, and the rest fled in panic."
Lin Yue nodded, saying nothing more. In this dog-eat-dog world, establishing authority was essential. The area within a fifty-mile radius of the auction house was his absolute territory; any intruder would be punished—that was the rule.
"Well done." Lin Yue stood up. "Come with me downstairs and take a look."
...
Meanwhile, the entire Douluo Continent was in turmoil because of the mysteriously appearing invitation.
Inside the Spirit Hall and the Papal Palace
Bibi Dong sat on the magnificent papal throne, her fingertips lightly tapping the gilded invitation, her beautiful eyes flashing with complex light.
Below, Ghost Douluo Gui Mei and Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan stood with their heads bowed, not daring to breathe.
"Auction Pavilion...outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest..." Bibi Dong read the contents of the invitation softly, her voice cold and authoritative. "Yue Guan, how's the investigation going?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Your Holiness the Pope has already dispatched scouts to investigate. However, the Star Dou Great Forest is vast, and its exact location is still uncertain. But..."
"But what?" Bibi Dong's eyes narrowed slightly.
"According to the latest report, a mysterious building has indeed appeared on the outskirts of the forest. Its style is peculiar and unlike any known structure in the Douluo Continent. Several adventure teams have attempted to approach it, but have all been inexplicably repelled. Among them is a Soul Saint-level captain who is said to have had his cultivation crippled."
A glint flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes: "To be able to easily cripple a Soul Saint, one must be at least a Title Douluo-level expert. It seems this auction house is not simple."
She looked again at the three items listed on the invitation, especially the last one, "The Art of Soul Core Condensation (Introduction)," which even she, the Pope, couldn't help but be tempted by.
"Continue the investigation and send more people. In seven days, I will personally go and see what this so-called auction house is all about." Bibi Dong's voice was filled with an unquestionable determination.
"Yes!" Douluo Chrysanthemum and Ghost replied in unison.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Council Hall Ning Fengzhi examined the invitation card in his hand repeatedly. Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong sat on either side of him, their expressions solemn.
"Appearing out of thin air and delivered directly to us, such methods are unheard of." Chen Xin spoke first, his tone carrying the sharpness unique to a swordsman. "Feng Zhi, this matter is strange, and we should be wary of a trap."
Gu Rong's hoarse voice rang out: "That old hag is right. But this invitation is made of extraordinary material; the aura emanating from it makes even my heart tremble. It doesn't seem fake. If those three auction items are genuine..."
Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly, his eyes gleaming with the shrewdness unique to businessmen: "Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, I understand your concerns. But this may also be an opportunity for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
He gently stroked the words "Soul Power Enhancement Pill" on the invitation: "If Rongrong's martial soul can evolve further... and this Soul Core Condensation Method should also be of great benefit to you two uncles."
Chen Xin and Gu Rong exchanged a glance, both seeing the eagerness in each other's eyes. At their level, every step forward was incredibly difficult, and they didn't want to miss any opportunity for advancement.
"In that case, we'll make this trip in seven days," Chen Xin finally decided. "We'd like to see who's behind this huge commotion."
The core area of the Starry Sky Forest, the Lake of Life
Gu Yuena's silver hair cascaded down her back, her purple eyes fixed on the invitation floating in front of her, a rare solemn expression appearing on her beautiful face.
Di Tian stood aside, his expression respectful yet worried: "My lord, this auction house that suddenly appeared on the edge of our territory is probably no coincidence. Humans are cunning and we must be on guard."
Gu Yuena tapped her slender fingers lightly, and the invitation card moved automatically without any wind, turning to the page describing the auction items.
"These items… are not simple." She said softly, her gaze lingering for a moment on the "Soul Power Enhancement Pill" in particular. "Especially this pill, it seems to contain a pure life energy, which may be beneficial to our race."
Brigitte said softly from the side, "My lord, your injuries have not yet healed, and it is not advisable for you to go into danger yourself. Why don't you let me go and investigate first?"
Gu Yuena shook her head: "The person who sent the invitation was able to bypass my senses and deliver it directly here. Their strength is unfathomable. Since they have treated us with such courtesy, we will reciprocate."
She paused, then made a decision: "I will personally attend the auction in seven days. Di Tian, Bi Ji, you will accompany me."
"My lord!" Di Tian exclaimed urgently, "This is too dangerous!"
Gu Yuena raised her hand to stop him: "It's alright. If the other party really had malicious intent, they wouldn't have used this method. I'd like to see what kind of being could produce such treasures."
Her gaze pierced through the dense forest, as if she could already see the mysterious auction house, a hint of curiosity and inquiry flashing in her eyes.
The various factions reacted differently.
Within the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex clan, the clan leader, Yu Yuanzhen, scoffed at the invitation, believing it to be a prank by someone. However, a few elders secretly sent people to investigate.
The Haotian Sect has gone into seclusion, and Tang Xiao has put away the invitation, hesitating whether to inform Tang Hao, who is in seclusion.
The four lower sects and other soul master forces mostly adopted a wait-and-see attitude, but they all sent scouts to the Star Dou Great Forest.
The royal families of the two great empires were shocked by the mysterious way the invitation appeared, and both Emperor Xue Ye of the Tian Dou Empire and Emperor Dai Tian of the Xing Luo Empire ordered close monitoring.
...
Inside Yu Xiaogang's room at Notting College.
Tang San was asking his teacher about the theory of martial spirits when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.
Upon opening the door, there was no one outside, only an ordinary invitation on the ground—unlike the gilded invitations received by other factions, this one appeared much simpler.
"What is this?" Tang San picked up the invitation and handed it to Yu Xiaogang with a puzzled look.
Yu Xiaogang took the invitation, opened it, and immediately frowned: "Auction pavilion? Auctioning Soul Power Enhancement Pills and Soul Core Condensation Methods? Absurd!"
His tone was clearly disdainful: "There are no shortcuts to cultivating soul power. As for soul core condensation, that's a realm that only Title Douluo-level cultivators can access. How could there possibly be any secret manuals circulating there? It must be a scam!"
Tang San nodded in agreement: "Teacher is right. It's probably just some kind of charlatan trick; we don't need to pay any attention to it."
However, for some reason, Yu Xiaogang felt a strange unease, as if he had missed something important. He carefully put away the invitation, deciding to study it carefully later.
...
On the outskirts of the Starry Sky Forest, in front of the auction pavilion.
Lin Yue stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the magnificent building. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the glazed tiles, reflecting a dazzling light.
Long Yi appeared silently behind him: "Master, seventeen waves of spies attempted to approach today, but they have all been driven away after being slightly punished, as you instructed."
Lin Yue smiled slightly: "It's alright, let them investigate. The auction house's reputation needs them to spread it."
His gaze stretched far into the depths of the forest, as if he could pierce through all obstacles and see the various forces observing from the shadows.
"The bait has been cast; now it's just a matter of when the fish will take the bait."
The auction in seven days is sure to be spectacular.
At this moment, no one knows how this auction will change the entire landscape of Douluo Continent.