After the second day of the round-robin matches ended, Wang Yan led the reserve team out of the Star Emperor Hotel.
"These past few days of competition have left your nerves too tense. Tonight, I'll take you somewhere to relax. It will help you perform better in the upcoming matches."
Although Wang Yan wore a gentle smile, his wording sounded slightly ambiguous.
The others looked confused, while Xu Sanshi wiggled his eyebrows as if preparing to say something indecent,only to be stopped by Beibei before he could open his mouth.
After a period of walking and passing through several crowded streets,packed since the start of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament,Wang Yan finally brought them to a building bearing the sign of an auction house.
"Oh, it's just an auction house."
Xu Sanshi sighed dramatically in disappointment, making Beibei's fists itch to hit him again.
Wang Yan nodded.
"Yes, an auction house. Over the course of the tournament, Xu Sanshi, you should have experienced firsthand the convenience of soul tools."
"And you all should have noticed,many of the academies' contestants are equipped with soul tools."
"Even those who are not dedicated soul engineers can gain greatly enhanced combat strength with them. Their manipulation may be less refined, but the benefits are undeniable."
"The integration of soul masters and soul engineers is the future,and it cannot be avoided."
The group nodded repeatedly. Even with Shrek Academy's ingrained pride in pure soul master combat, they could no longer deny this reality.
Only Wang Dong frowned slightly, looking uncomfortable.
Huo Yuhao leaned close and whispered, "If you're not feeling well, go rest at the hotel."
At the same time, he quietly activated the spiritual-suggestion loop he had prepared in advance. It spread over everyone except Wang Dong, subtly influencing their thoughts.
Since Ning Tian had provided soul tools, and the reserve team had been practicing with them, they clearly understood:
With soul tools, even soul masters who rely on teamwork can unleash enormous individual combat power,sometimes enough to counter natural attribute restraints and surpass levels they normally couldn't handle.
"Decades ago, nearly all academies saw soul tools as lowering the dignity of soul masters."
"But in the recent tournaments, more and more have integrated them. This year, over eighty percent of the academies are equipped with soul tools."
Hearing Wang Yan's sighing reflection, Beibei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan felt complicated. Because of Shrek's education, their pride resisted soul tools the most… yet they couldn't deny how convenient they were.
If soul masters truly rejected soul tools,
Then what about storage tools? What about flight soul tools?
Were those not soul tools as well?
Thinking of it this way, their resistance softened.
Only Wang Dong could not bear it any longer. After asking to leave, he returned alone to the hotel.
Once Wang Dong left, Wang Yan continued his explanation. After increasingly convincing them of his views, he finally led the group into the auction house.
Huo Yuhao checked the time. Everything was proceeding perfectly.
With their attention guided by Wang Yan's reasoning and his spiritual suggestion quietly influencing them, the others would not question his unusual actions during the auction.
The spirit power cost of maintaining this influence was covered entirely by the Iceworm Emperor,Tianmeng Iceworm. Although the improved technique consumed more than the original version, its effect was significantly better.
Inside the auction house was a long descending staircase,about twenty meters deep. The exterior building appeared modest, but the true auction hall was beneath the ground.
At registration, Wang Yan distributed number plates,clearly he had arranged this in advance.
A young woman in a red gown guided them forward through a luxurious corridor of jade flooring and ornate craftsmanship.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but sigh inwardly:
"So poor… If I could rob this place, I'd probably have enough resources to cultivate all the way to Titled Douluo."
Unfortunately, that was only wishful thinking.
His current strength wasn't enough to provoke an imperial-level force.
He needed to grow slowly… bide his time… until the future wars of the Four Empires erupted.
The maid led them into Auction Hall No. 12,this night's auction featured soul tools up to Rank 6, suitable for their level, so its hall was arranged toward the back of the facility.
After receiving decorative masks, they were seated in the front row.
Even without Dai Huabin's noble status supporting them tonight, Wang Yan's identity,directly recognized by the Star Luo royal family's Starglow Auction House,ensured they received special treatment.
Then the auction officially began.
The first few items were Rank 3 to Rank 5 soul tools. Wang Yan purchased several of them.
None interested Huo Yuhao.
Even the second-to-last item,a Rank 4 energy-restoration device often nicknamed "the milk bottle",was useless to him due to Tianmeng Iceworm's assistance.
Besides, now that Wang Yan had purchased them, Huo Yuhao would later analyze and record their structures through his True Sight and reproduce their soul formations for personal use.
Finally,
A red-draped cart was pushed onto the stage.
The Soul-Devouring Evil Blade.
Huo Yuhao's true purpose in coming to Star Luo City.
After the auctioneer's introduction, the audience's emotions rose and fell sharply:
Curiosity about the mysterious item,
Excitement learning it was a Soul-Engraving Tool,
Then a heavy chill when its background was revealed.
Whispers broke out:
"Soul-Devouring Evil Blade? A cursed thing like that deserves to be locked away!"
"Wasn't this thing from the Sun Moon Empire? I heard even a ninth-rank soul engineer died because of it!"
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao silently contacted the ancient presence dwelling within his spiritual sea,one he had not spoken to for days.
"Senior Electrolux, may you take a look? Do you think this Soul-Devouring Blade's core,Life Gold,meets the requirements for restoring your divine consciousness?"
Electrolux did not respond immediately. After a pause, his aged voice echoed again:
"Life Gold… to find such a large piece here is unexpected. More surprising,Rain,
you already knew what it was."
"You must have known this blade would appear tonight. Your soul circuit was prepared days ago, and you activated it before the auction began."
"At first I wondered why you wasted the Iceworm's spiritual power.
But if it was for this,then your caution is justified."
Huo Yuhao asked calmly,
"Then the evil spirit inside it is yours to handle, Senior?"
"For me, eliminating something like that is trivial… but,"
"Senior," Huo Yuhao cut in gently,
"As for how I learned of this ahead of time,
once we secure it and return, I will tell you everything."
The auctioneer's charming voice sounded:
"Soul-Devouring Engraving Blade. Starting price: 100,000 gold soul coins. Minimum increase: 5,000 gold soul coins. Bidding may begin."
She sighed inwardly.
Even if left unused, few would dare buy a cursed object with such bloody history.
Silence.
Perfect timing.
While the Shrek group chatted idly,ignoring Huo Yuhao entirely due to the mental suggestion,
he slowly raised his bidding plate.
"100,000 gold soul coins."
The auctioneer reacted instantly:
"Bidder No. 333 offers 100,000 gold soul coins! Any higher bids?"
None.
Three calls later, the hammer fell.
Sold.
The Soul-Devouring Evil Blade,crafted of Life Gold,belonged to Huo Yuhao.
Afterward, he followed Wang Yan to collect the item personally,just in case anything unexpected happened.
Back at the hotel, in his room, Huo Yuhao removed the storage device and set the blade onto the table.
It lay quietly,ancient patterns, cold gleam.
Visually harmless…
but True Sight exposed its sinister aura and the remnant soul lurking within.
He did not touch it. Instead, he sent his mental message toward the gray orb in his spiritual sea.
"Senior Electrolux, please."
Electrolux's divine fragment was in good condition,far better than in the original timeline,and not prone to long periods of slumber.
Gray mist swirled in Yuhao's consciousness. His eyes turned gray,his aura shifting toward deathly stillness yet also holy majesty.
Yuhao watched as his spiritual power, guided by Electrolux, condensed into a faint gray beam that shot out from his eyes and enveloped the blade.
It trembled violently,screams echoing within,yet Electrolux sealed the sound completely.
Yuhao observed carefully. Every one of Electrolux's methods expanded his understanding of spiritual force.
After suppressing the evil, the gray light morphed into gentle purification.
A greenish specter was dragged from the blade,howling, hideous,desperate to lunge at Yuhao's body.
But in Electrolux's hands, it had no hope of resisting.
The blade's malice dissipated.
The remnant soul disintegrated.
What remained was pure Life Gold crystal,warm, transparent, and without a trace of leaked aura.
Only then did Electrolux speak:
"Yuhao… since you know of Life Gold, then you understand,
with this, my divine consciousness will no longer be bound."
"And once that happens,I will no longer need a 'host' like you."
"Why did you wake me? Why let me control your body?
Were you not afraid I might take it for myself?"
Yuhao answered without hesitation:
"Because I trust you."
"I believe that the Death God of Necromancy,Electrolux,is not someone who repays kindness with betrayal."
"Life Gold is priceless,but compared to you, it is insignificant."
"This is my gamble. I am betting on a future where you stand beside me."
"There are many things I still cannot explain,but I carry a burden too great for me alone."
"I know that, if you wished, you could have forcibly seized my body long ago…
But you didn't.
You asked my permission first."
"That is the Electrolux I trust."
A brief silence,
Then control of his body returned.
The gray mist condensed again into a small sphere, retreating into Yuhao's spiritual sea.
"I used purification. I must rest briefly."
"Keep the Life Gold close to your body. Let your aura blend with it first,so future fusion will go smoothly."
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