The auctioneer's voice echoed throughout the auction hall.
"This Carving Knife is named the 'soul-eating carving knife'."
The auctioneer did not dare to place his hand directly on the Carving Knife, merely picking up the box to display it to everyone.
"It has a history of over three thousand years and is ranked ninety-ninth on the carving knife rankings."
As soon as these words were spoken, a wave of whispers immediately broke out in the hall.
The carving knife rankings!
That was a list that ranked all known top-tier carving knives across the entire continent!
Without exception, every single one capable of making it onto this list was a masterpiece crafted with the lifeblood of generations of Grandmaster Soul Engineers!
And the soul-eating carving knife before them was actually ranked ninety-ninth?!
Although it was only at the bottom of the list, it was still the carving knife rankings!
The auctioneer continued his introduction, his tone carrying a bit more reverence.
"The creator of this Carving Knife was a brilliant and stunning Soul Engineer, a 9th Class Soul Engineer."
9th Class!
The sound of breathing in the hall grew a bit heavier.
A 9th Class Soul Engineer was an existence standing at the very peak of the Soul Engineer field on the entire continent!
"This was the final work created by that Grandmaster in his late years; it can be said that he poured his entire life's blood into it."
The auctioneer reached this point and then changed his tone, which became low and somber.
"But... this Carving Knife is also an ominous blade."
"An ominous blade?"
Someone in the audience couldn't help but ask aloud.
The auctioneer nodded, his expression grave.
"According to our research, this soul-eating carving knife has had a total of thirty-seven owners to date."
His voice slowly rang out.
"And those thirty-seven owners, without exception, all died miserable deaths."
Hiss—
The entire audience gasped.
Thirty-seven owners, all died miserable deaths?
Isn't that a bit too sinister?!
"Not only that."
The auctioneer's voice dropped even lower.
"Among these thirty-seven owners, nine of them gradually fell into the Evil Path after possessing this Carving Knife, becoming... Evil Soul Masters."
Evil Soul Masters!
As soon as these three words were uttered, the atmosphere of the entire auction hall instantly dropped to the freezing point.
Evil Soul Masters were the public enemies of all Spirit Masters on the entire continent!
Cruel, bloodthirsty, and capable of every evil!
"Of course, distinguished guests, there is no need to be overly concerned."
The auctioneer quickly spoke to reassure them.
"We can guarantee that as long as Spirit Power is not injected into the Carving Knife, it will not turn against its owner."
"In other words, if it is only kept as a collector's item, there is absolutely no problem."
Hearing these words, the tense atmosphere in the hall eased slightly.
However, those who were originally interested in this Carving Knife now one by one abandoned the idea of bidding.
An ominous blade that could potentially cost one's life?
No matter how precious it was, no one dared to gamble with their own life!
...
Inside the VIP box.
Xiao Hongchen, who had originally watched with a bit of curiosity, instantly lost interest after hearing it was an "ominous blade".
He leaned back on the sofa, hands tucked behind his head, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.
"What's the use of buying this kind of thing? To use as a decoration?"
Xiao Hongchen curled his lip, a flash of arrogance appearing in his heterochromatic eyes—one blue and one green.
"Besides, I, Xiao Hongchen, will sooner or later personally craft my own Carving Knife and have it join the carving knife rankings!"
"And its rank will definitely not be just ninety-ninth!"
His tone was full of confidence, carrying the pride belonging to a Genius.
Meng Hongchen, hearing this from the side, couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Brother, wait until you become a 9th Class Soul Engineer before you say that."
"I definitely will!"
Xiao Hongchen retorted indignantly.
"Just you wait and see!"
Huo Yuhao, however, did not participate in the siblings' bickering.
His gaze was locked onto the pitch-black Carving Knife on the auction stage.
The soul-eating carving knife...
Thirty-seven owners all died miserable deaths...
Nine people became Evil Soul Masters...
For some reason, Huo Yuhao felt that this Carving Knife seemed to hide some unknown secret.
Right at that moment, an aged voice suddenly rang out within Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness!
"Buy it."
Huo Yuhao's body suddenly stiffened!
This voice... it was Electrolux!
"Elder Yi?!"
Huo Yuhao called out in his heart, his voice filled with surprise and joy.
"You're awake?!"
At the same time, Skydream Ice Worm also heard this voice.
Within the Sea of Consciousness, Skydream Ice Worm's chubby body trembled violently, nearly jumping up!
"Holy crap?!"
Skydream Ice Worm's voice was full of shock.
"You... you're not dead?!"
The entire silkworm was simply stunned. One had to know that seven months had passed since Electrolux last appeared; with no movement for seven months, he had thought the other party was dead.
"I was merely in a deep sleep."
Electrolux's voice remained steady, without a hint of emotion.
"Previously, my Soul state was unstable and required a long sleep to consolidate. Now, it has basically stabilized."
Skydream Ice Worm finally breathed a sigh of relief but still couldn't help muttering.
"You scared me to death, I thought you were a walking corpse... wait, being a Soul form doesn't really count as being alive anyway..."
Electrolux ignored Skydream Ice Worm's teasing and continued speaking to Huo Yuhao.
"Yuhao, buy this Carving Knife."
Huo Yuhao was slightly stunned, then asked.
"Elder Yi, is there... something special about this Carving Knife?"
Electrolux was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.
"Do you still remember the value of that 'Life Guardian Blade' you saw back at the academy?"
Huo Yuhao's pupils shrank slightly.
The Life Guardian Blade!
Of course he remembered!
That was one of the most precious items in Shrek Academy's treasury!
When he saw the price tag on that Carving Knife back then, he was completely dumbfounded—three hundred million Contribution Points! Three hundred million!
Even though Huo Yuhao was now a 4th Class Soul Engineer and could earn quite a few Contribution Points every time he completed a mission or crafted a Spirit Tool, if he wanted to save up three hundred million...
Huo Yuhao calculated secretly in his heart and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
How many years would that take?
"I naturally remember."
Huo Yuhao replied in his heart, his tone carrying a bit of confusion.
"Elder Yi, you suddenly mentioned the Life Guardian Blade, could it be..."
An incredible thought suddenly surged in his heart.
"This soul-eating carving knife is related to the Life Guardian Blade?!"
Electrolux's voice remained calm, but the words he spoke left Huo Yuhao completely stunned.
"Correct."
Just two short words, yet they exploded in Huo Yuhao's mind like a thunderclap!
The soul-eating carving knife... was actually related to the Life Guardian Blade?!
That was a divine object worth three hundred million Contribution Points!
Furthermore, Huo Yuhao was also aware of how to use the Life Guardian Blade, but the soul-eating carving knife before him really couldn't be seen through with mortal eyes; even with Mental Force perception, it was full of things like curses.
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart, his gaze falling once more on the pitch-black Carving Knife on the auction stage.
Huo Yuhao hadn't expected to encounter such a good item in this place. When he came to the Sun Moon Empire, he had basically never thought he would have such an opportunity. Now that he had encountered it, he naturally had to take it.
As for gold coins... this kind of thing was not a problem for a student of Shrek Academy.
...
At this time, the auctioneer's voice rang out again.
"The soul-eating carving knife, starting price, one hundred thousand gold coins!"
The hall was silent; no one made a bid.
Although this Carving Knife was ranked ninety-ninth on the carving knife rankings, and although it was a late-life work of a 9th Class Soul Engineer... thirty-seven owners had all died miserable deaths, and nine had turned into Evil Soul Masters...
Who would dare buy it?
If they bought it and accidentally injected Spirit Power one day, wouldn't they be seeking death?
After waiting for a while with no one speaking, fine beads of sweat broke out on the auctioneer's forehead.
Was it going to fail to sell again?
This Carving Knife had already failed to sell several times. Each time was because of the reputation of being an "ominous blade," which made people stay away.
Just as the auctioneer was preparing to announce the failed auction, a calm voice came from a VIP box on the second floor.
"One hundred thousand gold coins."
Everyone's gaze simultaneously turned toward that box.
"One hundred thousand gold coins, going once."
Upon hearing this voice, the auctioneer couldn't help but look delighted and quickly spoke.
"One hundred thousand gold coins, going twice."
"One hundred thousand gold coins, going three times! Sold!"
The small gavel fell, letting out a crisp sound.
...
Inside the box.
Meng Hongchen was completely stunned when she heard Huo Yuhao bid.
She whipped her head around, her large blue eyes full of disbelief.
"Huo Yuhao, are you sure?! This is an ominous blade. Since the auctioneer dared to say that, there must be a basis for it."
Xiao Hongchen also frowned, looking at Huo Yuhao.
"You don't really want to use it to carve Spirit Tool arrays, do you? That thing will backfire."
Facing the two's attempts to dissuade him, Huo Yuhao only smiled, his tone calm.
"I want to buy it to study it a bit."
"Study?"
Meng Hongchen's mouth twitched.
"Study an ominous blade? Aren't you afraid of..."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Huo Yuhao interrupted Meng Hongchen, his tone carrying a bit of confidence.
Seeing him like this, Meng Hongchen opened her mouth but ultimately swallowed the words she was about to say.
She sighed and shook her head.
"Fine, fine, you're the boss."
She paused and then added, her tone becoming a bit serious.
"However, you have to be careful. If you can't solve the problem with this Carving Knife, you can come find us."
"My grandfather is a 9th Class Soul Engineer; he will definitely have a way."
Xiao Hongchen also nodded.
"That's right, my grandfather is experienced and knowledgeable. A mere ominous blade shouldn't be too much for him."
Seeing the sincere gazes of the siblings, a wave of warmth rose in Huo Yuhao's heart.
"Thank you."
He said softly.
...
After the auction ended.
Under the guidance of a waiter, Huo Yuhao completed the handover procedures and placed the pitch-black soul-eating carving knife into his Storage Soul Tool.
Then, the three left the auction hall and returned to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy.
Xiao Hongchen arranged an independent room for Huo Yuhao. The room wasn't large, but it was clean and tidy, with a desk and bed all provided.
"Get some rest first, call me anytime if you need anything."
Xiao Hongchen patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder and then left with Meng Hongchen.
The door closed.
In the room, only Huo Yuhao remained alone.
He walked to the desk and sat down, taking the soul-eating carving knife out from his Storage Soul Tool.
The pitch-black blade shimmered with a faint, cold light under the candlelight.
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and placed the Carving Knife on the table.
Then, he spoke slowly in his heart.
"Elder Yi."
"What should I do next?"
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
1 Review = 1 Bonus Chapter
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