Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

Gu Yue's jade-like hand was not only soft but also carried a cool sensation—like a peerless fine jade that was cool without being cold.

"Why make such a face? You're not a little girl anymore. You're a woman who's been around for hundreds of thousands of years. What's the big deal about holding hands?" Xia Yi mumbled softly, letting go of her hand.

"What did you just say?" Gu Yue's gaze suddenly turned sharp.

"Nothing, nothing!" Xia Yi quickly shook his head. After all, he was already in the wrong, and he didn't dare provoke Gu Yue any further.

"The thing that can evolve your martial soul is in here," Gu Yue said as she looked up at the hundred-meter-tall building before them.

She knew Xia Yi was just his usual self, so she decided not to fuss about him holding her hand. Instead, she silently took out a tissue and wiped the traces of Xia Yi's hold from her hand.

Xia Yi was utterly speechless—was it really necessary to be like this? He felt as if his pride had been insulted.

In a big city like Shrek City, there were many auction houses. But the one that dared to call itself the Shrek Auction House was this very establishment. The grand building stood not far from the entrance of Shrek Academy. Being located in such a prime spot clearly indicated the powerful backing of this auction house.

"It's inside!" Xia Yi nodded. Although the Shrek Auction House wasn't as sky-piercing as the Spirit Pagoda, it was definitely ranked among the top ten in Shrek City—rivaling even the Shrek City Forging Association building.

Just as Xia Yi and Gu Yue stepped inside, a receptionist came over. "May I ask, dear young guests, are you here with an adult for the auction?"

Gu Yue took out a badge from her bosom and waved it slightly. "Please arrange a private room for us."

At that, the receptionist's polite expression immediately turned reverent. "Level 5 Spirit Messenger, please follow me."

As he spoke, he no longer needed any invitation letter—without even asking further questions, he handed each of them a mask and led them inside.

Spirit Messengers, Forgers, and Mech Designers were all professions of similar standing. The only difference was that Spirit Messenger was a profession unique to the Spirit Pagoda. All Spirit Messengers were affiliated with the Spirit Pagoda. A level 5 Spirit Messenger's status was comparable to that of other level 5 professionals, but the key was Gu Yue's age. To be a level 5 Spirit Messenger at such a young age—regardless of her future achievements—her current status in the Spirit Pagoda was undoubtedly formidable. Not even a hundred bold individuals among the Shrek Auction House staff would dare offend Gu Yue.

The Shrek Auction House, as the largest auction venue in Shrek City, featured red carpets covering the floors, with various patterns embroidered on them, predominantly in gold. The walls along the corridors were paneled with white wood, similarly adorned with golden patterns. Overhead, dazzling crystal chandeliers shone brilliantly. At first glance, the level of luxury even surpassed that of the Spirit Pagoda. Of course, the Shrek Auction House would never compare to the Spirit Pagoda in terms of spiritual cultivation; the lavish décor was merely to demonstrate its financial strength. The Spirit Pagoda, on the other hand, didn't need such extravagance—its occupants were all exceptionally talented soul masters whose minds were solely focused on their cultivation, caring little for their surroundings.

The two were led into a luxurious room. Drinks were promptly served, and without any delay, a young woman in uniform entered.

"Honored guests, greetings. I am Xue Wei from the Shrek Auction House. How may I assist you today?" Xue Wei, upon seeing that her clients this time were two children, was momentarily taken aback. But she quickly recovered and bowed courteously to Xia Yi and Gu Yue.

"Show me the auction list," Gu Yue said directly.

Xue Wei smiled slightly and quickly approached Xia Yi and Gu Yue. She crouched down before them, and a flash emanated from a seemingly unremarkable golden bracelet on her wrist. A small soul communicator screen appeared in her hand. She swiftly tapped on it, and soon a list appeared on the screen.

"May I ask which category of items you would like to see?" Xue Wei maintained her smile, though her gaze kept drifting toward Gu Yue's stern face.

Gu Yue shifted her gaze toward Xia Yi.

Xia Yi looked over the various categories of auction items on the soul communicator screen: there were spirit artifacts, soul conduits, soul spirits, soul bones, and even various rare and exotic treasures for display.

After a moment of thought, Xia Yi tapped the sorting button to sort the items by price. He wasn't exactly sure what it was that drew him in, but he knew the price would be steep. He decided to first look at the most expensive items. If nothing else worked, he'd figure out another way.

When the auction item on the first line appeared, both Xia Yi and Gu Yue were taken aback.

Heart of the Ice God—starting bid: 5 billion Federal Coins; estimated final price: 8 billion Federal Coins.

"Heart of the Ice God—if one were to buy it outright, how many Federal Coins would that require?" Xia Yi asked tentatively.

Although the soul communicator screen only showed a picture, the moment he saw the Heart of the Ice God, he knew this was the item that had attracted him.

In the photo, there was a glass box—the material of the glass was unknown. Inside the box lay an object that looked as if it were a gem. It was roughly the size of a longan, shaped like a water drop, with countless tiny facets. It was entirely ice-blue. Though it was just an image, even one glance evoked an all-over, bone-chilling sensation.

Noticing how quickly Xia Yi had taken a liking to the Heart of the Ice God, Xue Wei's breathing became slightly rapid. If Xia Yi could win the bid for the Heart of the Ice God, although her commission wouldn't be as high as that of the auctioneer, it would be enough to ensure she'd never worry about food or drink for the rest of her life.

Even though she knew the likelihood of Xia Yi actually winning the bid for the Heart of the Ice God was extremely slim, Xue Wei continued in a steady voice, "Honored guest, this auction item is actually beyond my authority. According to the auction house's usual rules, if you were to purchase it outright, you'd have to negotiate with the owner. Typically, the price would exceed the estimated final price by about twenty percent."

"Exceed by twenty percent…" Xia Yi's mouth twitched; why not just seize it then? If every evolution of one's martial soul cost this many Federal Coins in the future, he might as well join the Holy Spirit Sect and help them exhume the royal ancestral tombs of the Star Luo Empire.

Seeing Xia Yi furrow his brows tightly, Xue Wei wasn't sure what he was thinking, and so she continued nervously, "Honored guest, I have worked at the Shrek Auction House for nearly four years now. This isn't the first time the Heart of the Ice God has appeared here. The last time it was in our auction house was three years ago, and I heard it ended up with no bids."

"So you're saying that in a normal auction, the Heart of the Ice God wouldn't even reach its estimated price?" Xia Yi asked.

"Yes, perhaps no one would even bid on it," Xue Wei replied quickly.

"In that case, I could barely accept that. But even so, I can't possibly come up with 5 billion for the starting bid," Xia Yi said with a pained, almost tearful smile.

Even if he sold the Heaven Forged Metal Ya Li had given him just moments ago, it would still fall far short.

Even if he were to borrow money from Gu Yue, she wouldn't be able to produce that many Federal Coins in a short period.

"Honored guest, as far as I know, the Heart of the Ice God was just delivered from Heaven Dou City—not long ago—and it was only brought in for publicity. The actual auction time hasn't been set yet," Xue Wei hurriedly explained.

"Not set?" Xia Yi frowned slightly. He guessed the reason. Something this expensive was completely unaffordable for ordinary people. This appearance at the Shrek Auction House was likely arranged for the upcoming Sea God Pavilion Conference. At this conference, every renowned organization on Douluo Continent would participate. It really was the best opportunity to auction the Heart of the Ice God.

To say the auction time hadn't been set probably meant they didn't know when the sea God Pavilion Conference would end.

"Yes," Xue Wei nodded and said, "If you two honored guests are truly interested in bidding, please add my soul communicator. Once the auction time for the Heart of the Ice God is confirmed, I will notify you both immediately."

She certainly didn't want to miss such a golden opportunity.

"Very well," Xia Yi nodded. Sitting here idly wasn't going to help; instead, he'd better start thinking about how to gather the funds.