```
"You really have a dirty mind,"
After hearing Qin Xiao's plan, Elder Ma gave a thumbs up, praising Qin Xiao.
Qin Xiao: "..."
What kind of comment is that?
Is that supposed to be a compliment?
Qin Xiao helplessly shook his head, only to see the others also looking at him, then silently giving a thumbs up.
Qin Xiao: "..."
These guys are too much.
Who was he going to all this trouble for?
Was it not to help the Sun-Moon Empire and to weaken an enemy for the Imperial Sun Moon Soul Academy?
Black lines crossed Qin Xiao's forehead.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
"Didn't Elder Ma say not to let the service staff disturb us?"
Meng Hongchen furrowed her brow, puzzled.
Qin Xiao said, "That means the visitor isn't a staff member."
His mind flashed back to the upcoming top-tier auction.
Wasn't it set to begin after the conclusion of the round-robin matches?
As everyone was perplexed,
a soft and pleasant voice came from outside the door.
"Sorry to disturb you, I'm not a staff member, I'm from the Starlight Auction House. May I ask if Qin Xiao, Mr. Qin is here?"
Starlight Auction House?
Hearing this voice, Meng Hongchen looked at Qin Xiao with a hint of surprise.
She could tell that this was the voice of the auctioneer who had sold the Carving Knife to Qin Xiao.
That's right...
Her name was Qing Ya.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Qin Xiao asked in astonishment.
"Uncle-Master, do you have some kind of relationship with the Soul Master from Starlight Auction House? How did she find you here?"
Meng Hongchen resembled a little fox at that moment,
continuously scrutinizing Qin Xiao with a questioning gaze.
Lin Xi, Chen Fei, Chen An, and the others began to look at Qin Xiao with suggestive eyes as well.
Only Xiao Hongchen seemed somewhat angry.
This guy, isn't having my sister enough?
Really... always desiring what's out of reach...
Pfft, degenerate.
Qin Xiao: "..."
What the hell is going on?
It's as if I'm really involved in something.
"Open the door, quick, open it."
Qin Xiao said, "Mika, you go."
Huh?
Mika was taken aback, but didn't refuse.
As the door opened, a woman in a long black dress stood outside. She appeared to be in her late twenties, the perfect age where a woman still retains the freshness of youth along with mature charm.
It was Qing Ya, the auctioneer who had sold Qin Xiao the Carving Knife that day.
Inside the room, everyone's gazes first fell on Qing Ya, and then shifted back to Qin Xiao.
Their looks were indescribably suggestive.
And Qin Xiao understood their glances.
They all seemed to say, 'Qin Xiao, you sly dog, good taste.'
Qin Xiao: "..."
I have never been at such a loss for words in my life.
At that moment, Qing Ya's eyes, clear as autumn waters, rested on Qin Xiao, a smile full of apology, "Mr. Qin, and all of you from the Imperial Sun Moon Soul Academy, I apologize for the intrusion without an invitation. I'm truly sorry."
"Indeed, it is quite presumptuous. Without a reasonable explanation, they might misunderstand me today," Qin Xiao said half-seriously, half-joking.
Qing Ya couldn't help but smile.
Meng Hongchen, however, felt somewhat jealous.
Uncle-Master is actually flirting with this female auctioneer.
There really is something between them.
Then,
the girl snorted unhappily, as if asserting her sovereign status.
Seeing this, Qing Ya discreetly discerned something and apologetically said, "Miss, please don't misunderstand. Here's the situation: tonight, our Starlight Auction House is holding a top-tier auction. Only the most esteemed guests are invited by us. Our boss sent me to deliver invitations to you all. If you're free tonight, you're welcome to attend the auction."
As she spoke, she took out a stack of invitations and placed them on the table, then with a smile, curtsied again and said, "I won't disturb you any longer. I apologize again," while speaking, she stepped back, closed the door carefully after exiting.
In fact, even without Qin Xiao, the invitations would have been delivered.
After all, in Xu Jiawei's plan, both Shrek and the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Team were major targets.
"Oh boy, finally something interesting. These days, the matches have been so easy, I feel like my limbs are about to atrophy," Xiao Hongchen stretched, casually picked up an invitation, gently caressing the gold embossed characters, and smirked.
It was not hard to see that he was quite interested in this auction.
Elder Ma also glanced at the invitations on the table and spoke indifferently, "Such high-level auctions are indeed rare. There are many treasures that even Titled Douluos find very tempting. It might be worth a look."
"Elder Ma, does this mean you agree that we should go take a look?"
Lin Xi, Chen Fei, and the others were excited.
Elder Ma nodded, "Even if we don't buy anything, it'll be good just to broaden our horizons."
Qin Xiao's thoughts stirred, "Elder Ma, may I have a word with you in private?"
Elder Ma didn't hesitate, "Of course."
After that, the two of them left the room, one after the other.
When they came back, only Qin Xiao was left.
"Uncle-Master, where is Elder Ma?" Meng Hongchen asked curiously.
"I've asked Elder Ma to invite a heavyweight guest."
"A heavyweight guest? Who?"
Everyone expressed their curiosity.
Qin Xiao smirked mysteriously, "You'll find out soon enough. Everyone should go ahead and get ready for the auction tonight."
...
Lights were just beginning to glimmer.
In Xingluo City, the streets were teeming and bustling with people.
Meng Hongchen and Qin Xiao led the way for the group, and the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Team arrived effortlessly at the entrance of the Starlight Auction House.
However.
When they saw the figure at the entrance of the auction house, they were all stunned.
```
```
Why is Dean Jing Hongchen here?
What a killjoy!
Then they remembered, the high-profile guest Qin Xiao had mentioned before...
Their gazes suddenly became filled with melancholy.
So, this is the heavyweight guest you brought with you.
Redundant.
It really is superfluous.
"You little brats, are you unhappy to see me?"
Jing Hongchen noticed the odd atmosphere and saw right through everyone's thoughts.
"Dean, you misunderstand us, we couldn't be happier to see you," they hastily defended.
"Yes, yes, we've missed you terribly after just a few days," they continued.
Ma Rulong and others quickly made their case.
Fearing that Jing Hongchen would take the chance to make things difficult for them.
"Hmph, that's more like it."
Jing Hongchen nodded in satisfaction.
"Mr. Qin, esteemed guests from the Imperial Sun Moon Soul Academy, please, let me take you inside," said Qing Ya, her voice coming from within the auction house.
Then everyone saw Qing Ya, clad in a black long dress, walking with a graceful gait.
In the light of the evening, her beauty and elegance were heightened, her lovely face filled with tenderness.
Qin Xiao glanced at everyone, and seeing no objections, said to Qing Ya, "Then we'll trouble Auctioneer Qing Ya."
Qing Ya shook her head and said, "Everyone, please follow me."
With that, she offered a charming smile and led the way with a willowy walk.
Not long after they had left,
under Wang Yan's lead, Beibei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, and the others also arrived outside the auction house.
"Teacher Wang, what's wrong? You seem preoccupied," said Wang Dong, noticing Wang Yan's unusual demeanor within their group.
"Hahaha, Wang Dong, that's because you're clueless. Teacher Wang must be looking for that auctioneer named Qing Ya, right?
Hehe, just look at him, his soul is completely captivated!" Xu Sanshi laughed teasingly.
Feeling exposed, Wang Yan blushed and said seriously, "Don't talk nonsense, I just think that a huge auction like this should have someone to welcome us, right?"
As if to prove Wang Yan's words, a dignified middle-aged man in a black robe emerged from the auction house, "Are you esteemed guests here to attend the auction as well?"
Why is it him... Wang Yan did not show his inner disappointment and produced an invitation.
Upon seeing the invitation, the middle-aged man's face lit up with a smile, "Esteemed guests, please follow me."
...
Under Qing Ya's guidance, the group arrived at VIP Room No. 6.
The VIP room was a room of about two hundred square meters, extravagantly decorated.
The most eye-catching feature was a wall made of sparkling crystal.
Seeing this, Qin Xiao was reminded of the large screens that were once a fixture in every square on Blue Star, and couldn't help but comment inwardly, "Real technology wasn't well-developed, yet this indulgent stuff was researched instead.
With that kind of effort, wouldn't it be better to do something meaningful?"
Qing Ya, who was apt at discerning moods, noticed Qin Xiao's lingering gaze and immediately explained, "In order to maintain the privacy of the top auction's participants, each guest has their own private room.
This is a light guiding screen custom-made in the Sun-Moon Empire for our auction house. The image is transmitted in a special way, allowing us to see the auction items directly in front of us. This setup lets us learn about the auction items, and I am also specially responsible for giving a detailed explanation of each item to our guests."
Xiao Hongchen and the others laughed.
"Auctioneer Qing Ya, it seems you have forgotten where we come from," they said.
Qing Ya gave an apologetic smile, "Qing Ya was confused."
"Everyone, please take a seat, the auction should be about to start," Jing Hongchen said, and took a seat first.
Qin Xiao, Meng Hongchen, Xiao Hongchen, and the others promptly followed suit.
It's worth mentioning that Meng Hongchen naturally took a seat next to Qin Xiao, which led her brother, Xiao Hongchen, to sigh and remark that a daughter is hard to keep around.
"Uncle Master, do you want an orange? I'll peel it for you."
"Uncle Master, try some grapes, they're really sweet."
```
"Come, Uncle-Master, drink some milk..."
Meng Hongchen was attending to Qin Xiao with great care and attention.
Even Qin Xiao himself wondered, what has gotten into this girl today?
Although she used to take good care of him before, she didn't act like a maid, did she?
Glancing at Qing Ya next to him, Qin Xiao suddenly had an epiphany...
Who said you need three women?
Two women can put on a drama just as well.
However.
He also noticed the barely concealed envy and admiration in the eyes of Ma Rulong, Lin Xi, and Mika when they looked at him.
They envied him because Meng Hongchen came from no ordinary background.
The Hongchen Clan was among the foremost families in the Sun-Moon Empire.
Inferior to the royal household, but not by a particularly large margin.
It was pretty much like the Star Luo Dai Family and the Duke of Netherworld from ten thousand years ago.
It could be said that Meng Hongchen was almost like a princess.
Who wouldn't be envious of someone being favored by such a girl?
The reason for their admiration was... Meng Hongchen's brother and grandfather were both present, and he still dared to have Meng Hongchen do this and that...
Was he not worried about getting hammered to death?
In any case, if they were to evaluate Qin Xiao, they would describe him in two words, freaking awesome!
To put it in a sentence, Qin Xiao is a real man, a model for our generation!
Qin Xiao: "..."
He really didn't know how to explain it.
Just then, the entire room was submerged in a layer of golden light. Instinctively, everyone's gaze turned to the soul screen opposite the sofa.
The gentle golden light, not at all blinding, spread out and obscured everyone's vision, while faint golden lines also radiated from every corner of the room. The originally warm and comfortable atmosphere suddenly took on a more majestic feel.
Qing Ya said, "Esteemed guests, our auction will commence shortly."
With the fall of her voice, a melodious sound rang out.
"Welcome to the Starlight Auction House's premier auction. Today, we will present a total of nine precious items to our esteemed guests. The value of the items will be showcased from low to high. We hope you all enjoy."
The soul screen became clear again, and the previously empty platform was now shrouded in a faint white haze. Standing in the middle was a girl in a long red dress.
The girl's beauty made even Xu Sanshi secretly swallow his saliva.
It wasn't that Jiang Nannan was much less pretty than the girl.
Mainly, judging whether a woman is beautiful does not depend solely on the face, but also on the breasts, buttocks, legs...
In this regard, Jiang Nannan was much less endowed.
"Xu Sanshi, you'd better not look at me in the future, or I'll gouge out your eyes," Jiang Nannan said angrily from the VIP room where the Shrek squad was situated.
Xu Sanshi looked embarrassed, "Nannan, you're misunderstanding. Didn't she just say that the auction was starting? I wanted to see what the auction items were..."
Xu Sanshi found a rather far-fetched excuse for himself.
Jiang Nannan curled her lips, "Xu Sanshi, can you even believe your own excuse?"
Xu Sanshi replied without hesitation, "I believe it."
"You..." Jiang Nannan stomped her foot in frustration, "You, did your thick skin spread to your face?"
"Xu Sanshi, Nannan, calm down a bit, the first auction item is coming onto the stage," Beibei frowned and interrupted their quarrel.
At his words, Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan turned their attention back to the big screen.
Sure enough, in front of the girl in red, Xu Jiujiu, there appeared a new item.
"Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Knife. An eighth-grade close-range soul tool. Crafted from exceptionally rare materials including a right arm bone from a Ten-thousand-year Tyrant Tiger soul beast. Its soul bone skill 'Tyrant Slash' is embedded within. It also amplifies similar types of soul skill attacks by 50 percent."
"Attention, esteemed guests, when using this precious close-range soul tool for attacks, each strike will come with the effect of 'Tyrant Slash.' Its effect can stack with any similar attack-type soul skill. Additionally, through the ingenious guiding of the core magic array, and the energy inherent in the soul bone itself, the soul power consumed by 'Tyrant Slash' will be only one third of the normal amount."
"Lastly, this Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Knife originates from the Mingde Hall of the Sun-Moon Empire. I believe the name 'Mingde Hall' alone sufficiently attests to its quality. It can be used by a seven ring Soul Sage, and with it, a Soul Sage challenging a Soul Douluo becomes a possibility. Viewing time, five minutes."
As Xu Jiujiu's voice faded, the feature of the Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Knife became gradually magnified, revealing every detail on the big screen.
Inside VIP room number 6, Qin Xiao's mind was also filled with corresponding memories.
In the original story, this Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Knife was bought by Dai Yueheng for the price of 1.5 million golden soul coins.
But now, with Dai Yueheng not present, who would be the new owner of this knife?
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