Chapter 463: The Auction Begins

"No wonder..."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

If it was indeed their auction, the Soul-less Golden Man would surely be purchasable, not as uncertain as they had said.

"Have you appraised this Soul-less Golden Man? What exactly is it?"

Seeing that the auction below hadn't started yet, Zhang Xuan asked again.

With the five thousand spirit stones in hand, he had not only repaid the hundred spirit stones the other had lent him for the trial but also compensated with another hundred.

That meant he now had a total of 4,800 spirit stones. Although Pavilion Master Sai had sworn it was enough, he still wanted to inquire more thoroughly to make a sound judgment.

"Yes!"

Pavilion Master Sai nodded. "About a month ago, an old man came to the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion and asked me to appraise an item. It was entirely made of metal, like cast gold, and looked like a puppet. I studied it for a long time and found it identical to the legendary Soul-less Golden Man. I then had Elder Lu and Elder Chen confirm it before finalizing the appraisal."

"This golden man is extremely hard. It should have been made by swallowing metal while alive and firing it with a special secret method. The whole body is smooth and seamless, with no leakage of aura. A formation is arranged inside, and it can be driven by spirit stones, with immense power. In terms of combat strength alone, it is comparable to a Hua Fan Triple Strong expert."

"While alive... Do you mean the Soul-less Golden Man is not cast but refined from a living person?" Zhang Xuan was startled.

Regarding the Soul Manipulator, he had only heard a casual mention from Hall Master Luo and knew nothing specific. Earlier, when he heard of the Soul-less Golden Man, he thought it was like the one he encountered in the Master Teacher Academy trial—a man-made object. But now, it was clearly different.

"Of course not! Man-made puppets, like refined treasures, will spontaneously develop spirituality over time. A human soul cannot invade them, and even if it could, control would be somewhat lacking. They are similar to tools like weapons and armor—convenient to use but not as adept as one's own limbs." Pavilion Master Sai said.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

No matter how handy a tool is, it's not as good as one's palms and limbs. Man-made puppets are essentially man-made weapons. Even if a soul can drive them, it's like holding a weapon—not as smooth.

"The Soul-less Golden Man is different. It is refined from a living person, with a body of cast bronze and iron. Not only is its defense invincible, but its strength is also extremely powerful. Most importantly... it can perfectly accommodate a soul, making control effortless. Legend has it that Soul Manipulators have strong control over souls but extremely poor physical bodies and strength. They rely on souls to control these things, making them invincible and formidable."

Pavilion Master Sai explained.

Zhang Xuan understood and was inwardly horrified.

Burning a living person into a puppet just to protect oneself... This profession was indeed eerie and evil.

"Soul Manipulators, in ancient times, were as feared as Poison Masters. It is said that they could use their powerful control over souls to forcibly extract a person's soul from their body and refine the body into a golden man. Some powerful Soul Manipulators could even create a terrifying army of golden men."

Pavilion Master Sai said. "Because of this, they faced opposition from other professions. The Master Teacher Pavilion personally intervened to exterminate them, and the inheritance was thus cut off. I only recognized this item after reading about the Soul-less Golden Man in many ancient texts; otherwise, I might have mistaken it for an ordinary puppet."

"I heard that this profession... can awaken sleeping souls. Is that true?" Suppressing his tension, Zhang Xuan asked.

Although Luo Qianhong was a three-star master teacher, compared to the four-star treasure appraiser Pavilion Master Sai, her knowledge was certainly inferior. Asking him should yield a more accurate answer.

"The soul is complex and mysterious. Unless one reaches the level of a seven-star master teacher, one cannot touch it. Otherwise, no matter how strong one's strength, even at the peak of Hua Fan Nine, one dare not meddle. If one lacks strength but can still do it, only Soul Manipulators can. This profession can even extract the souls of the living, so awakening a sleeping soul should be easy."

Pavilion Master Sai said with a grave expression.

Hearing his confirmation, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief again.

"Alright, the auction has started!"

As the two conversed, a clamor arose below. Turning to look, they saw that the auction had indeed begun.

The auctioneer was none other than Elder Chen.

As a four-star treasure appraiser and elder of the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion, he was more persuasive and made people believe in the authenticity of the treasures.

"Today's auction includes weapons, armor, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, extraterrestrial treasures, ancient puppet golden men, etc., a total of thirty-five items. Each has been appraised by our Treasure Appraisal Pavilion and given an accurate judgment, with precise comments and no falsification."

Looking around, Elder Chen's aura was astonishing.

Once on the auction stage, he had transformed back into the unparalleled four-star treasure appraiser, not the one who had been tormented by Sun Qiang earlier, spitting blood incessantly.

"Thirty-five items? So many treasures?"

"Of course. The Treasure Appraisal Pavilion's auction is held only once a year, and all items sold are priceless. Otherwise, do you think anyone could get an invitation?"

"I've been preparing for a long time. There's something here I must have. I have to buy it..."

...

Hearing the introduction, the crowd buzzed with discussion.

The auction hall was somewhat similar to an ordinary arena, arranged in a ring. People of status like Pavilion Master Sai were in private boxes, while below were many scattered seats.

Among these people were independent cultivators and guests from some large families, each having prepared for a long time to buy what they wanted.

"It seems the Soul-less Golden Man has great appeal. Quite a few experts have come!" Looking down through the window, Pavilion Master Sai remarked.

"Indeed!" Jin Conghai also nodded.

He was a Hua Fan Quadruple Strong expert and had been with the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance royal family for a long time, knowing almost all the famous experts within the alliance.

Although this auction was only in Honghai City, at a glance, many experts whose strength was not inferior to his had come, and even several stronger than him, which was startling.

Normally, auctions didn't have so many people. Their sudden appearance was clearly for the Soul-less Golden Man.

"I'm afraid three thousand spirit stones may not be enough to buy it."

After watching for a while longer, Pavilion Master Sai's face turned grave, and he smiled bitterly.

Earlier, he had judged that the golden man was worth only 1,500 spirit stones. Even if the auction doubled the price, it would be only three thousand. But now that so many experts had come, it might not be easy to get it at that price.

"We'll take it step by step. If it's not enough, Pavilion Master Sai can continue to lend me money!" Zhang Xuan smiled.

"Uh..." Pavilion Master Sai rolled his eyes. This guy still hadn't forgotten about that.

"Everyone, quiet please. The auction begins now. Let's start with the first item!"

After letting the crowd vent their astonishment, Elder Chen smiled slightly, waved his hand, and grabbed forward.

With a swoosh!

The stone platform in front slowly rose from the ground, revealing a long, narrow jade box.

The jade box opened, and a crystal-clear plant appeared before everyone, icy cold to the bone, piercing the heart. Even from a distance, it gave one the feeling of being frozen into an icicle.

"This is a five-hundred-year Cold Ice Spirit Herb. It has a miraculous effect on those who practice ice-cold attribute techniques. Refined into a pill and taken, one's cultivation will definitely skyrocket. Starting price: 220 spirit stones. Each bid must be at least 20 spirit stones more."

"Cold Ice Herb? It can be used to refine a fourth-grade Ice Soul Pill, which is not only useful for those practicing ice-cold techniques but also has a great effect on Hua Fan Triple Yin-Yang Mirror cultivators!"

"Indeed, a treasure, a true treasure. As expected of the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion's annual auction—it shows its extraordinary quality right from the start!"

"I want this Cold Ice Spirit Herb! 240 spirit stones!"

"You think that little money can buy a five-hundred-year spiritual herb? Dream on! 260 spirit stones!"

"Let me have it! 300 spirit stones..."

Although the first item was just a spiritual herb, it instantly stirred up the atmosphere.

Cold Ice Herb was already rare, and one of five hundred years was even more so. Before long, the price was driven up to 500 spirit stones, and the final transaction price reached 540 spirit stones!

"As expected of an auction, it's really lively..."

Seeing this, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but sigh.

In his estimation, this item was worth only about 300 spirit stones, but in the end, it was bid up to 540, nearly double. It seemed the Soul-less Golden Man would be as hard to buy as Pavilion Master Sai had said.

Next came the second item, a special ore. Adding a trace of it when refining weapons could greatly increase their power and sharpness.

As soon as the ore appeared, the atmosphere became even more intense than with the Cold Ice Herb.

What accompanies cultivators day and night is their weapon. The higher its grade, the stronger their ability to survive. Who would want to miss such a good thing?

Soon, the price exceeded 600 spirit stones, and it was finally won by a middle-aged man at 720 spirit stones.

"The third item is a long sword named [Cold Yin]. It was forged three hundred years ago by the four-star peak weapon refiner Jiumuzi, using thirty-seven types of ores. The most precious among them is a piece of Yin Cold Stone. When driven by cultivators of yin and cold attributes, its power doubles, allowing them to unleash stronger combat strength!"

Elder Chen took out a long sword and gently drew it. Instantly, cold light radiated, and its aura was astonishing.

"This is a spirit-grade mid-grade weapon. It can cut iron like mud and has unmatched power. Starting price: 500 spirit stones. Each bid must not be less than 50 spirit stones."

"Cold Yin Sword? I've heard of it. It's a sword used by a woman, very powerful!"

"A spirit-grade mid-grade weapon is more than enough even for a Hua Fan Quadruple Strong expert. 500 spirit stones is not expensive. I want it!"

"I want this for my Dao companion. You'd better forget it. 550 spirit stones..."

...

As soon as the sword appeared, the eyes of those below burned with desire.

"This item is not bad. Zhao Ya, do you want it?"

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up as he looked over.

Zhao Ya had a pure yin constitution, and this long sword was perfect for her. If he could buy it and give it to her, her combat strength would surely increase significantly.

"We should save the money to buy the Soul-less Golden Man and awaken Lu Chong. I... don't want it."

Zhao Ya shook her head, but her eyes were filled with longing.