Generally, the first item at an auction was chosen to be a mid-to-high-quality piece—one that would easily draw attention. This set the tone for the entire auction. If the opening item fetched a high price, the subsequent items would naturally follow suit.
"Thirty thousand." The first bid from Ning Rongrong was enough to stun the entire venue. The auction house fell silent in an instant. Up on the stage, Si Di was also momentarily stunned. Standing up there, he could see the guests in the front row perfectly clearly. With Lou Gao's distinctive figure, how could he fail to recognize him? And Ning Rongrong was seated right on Lou Gao's other side.
Si Di immediately caught on. Instead of deliberately drawing things out as per the usual procedure, he quickly announced, "VIP number eight bids thirty thousand gold soul coins. Thirty thousand gold soul coins going once, thirty thousand gold soul coins going twice, thirty thousand gold soul coins—" Just as he was about to declare the mystic iron sold, a voice suddenly rang out from the back.
"Forty thousand."
Hearing this voice, Tang San's brow furrowed slightly. He didn't even need to look—he recognized who it was. It was none other than Miles, the Bishop of Spirit Hall's Geng Xin City Main Hall, the same man who had been thrown out yesterday.
After being kicked out the previous day, Miles had fled back to the main hall in a state of sheer terror, convinced that disaster was about to befall him. Being seen at his worst by a Spirit Hall elder-rank powerhouse meant punishment would surely follow. The thought had kept him on edge for an entire day. Yet nothing happened.
Miles's spirits began to lift, and he quietly speculated that perhaps the elder had merely been passing through. Maybe the elder had come to discuss the matter of absorbing the Blacksmith Association? Since no one had come to confront him, that surely meant the elder had no intention of blaming him. With these thoughts, he completely misread the situation. He had planned to attend today's auction anyway—partly to check whether the elders were still around, and partly to cause trouble for the Blacksmith Association and force them into a quicker concession. From any angle, he simply could not believe that a Spirit Hall elder would truly side with the Blacksmith Association. The one thing he hadn't accounted for was that the "elder" was a fake.
A faint light flickered as a cold gleam passed across Tang San's face. He said nothing, merely waving his hand at Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong looked slightly startled but obeyed Tang San's signal and did not raise her bid.
Miles's offer became the final price—forty thousand gold soul coins. Though this was far below the true value of the mystic iron in Tang San's eyes, in a Soul Land where blacksmiths and forging were barely respected, the price was already considered astronomical.
The auction continued. Though the first item had fetched a high price, the last two bids felt jarring. Instead of stoking the auction's momentum, they seemed to dampen it. The next several items were finished products—nothing more than weapons and the like—and their transaction prices were all quite modest.
It wasn't until the fifth item that another rare metal appeared. Its value was no less than that of the mystic iron—it was a piece of mithril, worth just as much as the earlier mystic iron, and it weighed a full fifty kilograms. The appearance of this mithril inevitably sent the auction into another frenzy.
At Tang San's signal, Ning Rongrong made her move again. When the price soared to twenty thousand gold soul coins, that grating voice of Miles's made its return.
"Thirty thousand gold soul coins."
Murmurs began to ripple through the auction hall. The same bidder number, twice driving up the price on rare metals—it was bound to draw attention.
A flash of anger appeared in Ning Rongrong's eyes. She was about to raise her paddle when Tang San stopped her again. His lips moved imperceptibly, and a thread of sound reached Ning Rongrong's ear. He said only one sentence, and her emotions quickly settled. The mithril thus went to Miles at a price of thirty thousand gold soul coins.
Miles was secretly gloating. Having suppressed the auction twice, he would have plenty of ways to torment the Blacksmith Association after the auction ended. For instance, he could use Spirit Hall's name to guarantee an installment payment, take the goods, and then drag things out indefinitely—delaying until the Blacksmith Association was forced to yield. He was already brimming with such nasty schemes.
Afterward, Ning Rongrong successfully bid on several metals that were either not particularly heavy or not overly precious. Tang San's instructions were clear: acquire every valuable rare metal, no exceptions.
Ning Rongrong followed his directives faithfully. Before long, she and Miles had become the focal points of the entire auction—bidders who had won the most lots.
Moreover, whenever Miles placed a bid, Ning Rongrong maintained absolute silence, never competing with him. This puzzled Miles somewhat, but he didn't care. He was deliberately targeting the highest-priced items anyway.
Finally, it was time for the last item. This time, what was wheeled out was a small cart, draped in red cloth, beneath which two human-shaped objects appeared to be concealed. A Blacksmith Association auction would never sell slaves, so this item immediately captured everyone's attention.
Once the item was positioned, Si Di took a deep breath. He had certainly noticed the oddities of today's auction, but the auction had to proceed—this was a matter of the Blacksmith Association's reputation.
"What will be auctioned next is the final item of the day—the grand finale. I believe a single sentence will convey its significance. These are actually two separate items. Their creator is none other than my master, the president of the Blacksmith Association, the Divine Artificer Lou Gao."
The moment these words left his mouth, the entire hall erupted. Everyone knew that since Lou Gao had ascended to the rank of Divine Artificer, he rarely produced works anymore. Even when he did, they were never put up for auction. Now, to see two of Lou Gao's creations appear—it was easy to imagine the effect this had on the crowd's enthusiasm. Even Miles was momentarily stunned. Everyone knew Lou Gao's works were absolute treasures.
Seeing that the atmosphere had been sufficiently stoked, Si Di smiled faintly and said, "Good. Let us begin by auctioning the first piece." As he spoke, he pulled the red cloth off the taller of the two figures.
It was, of course, not a person but a wooden mannequin frame. None of that mattered—what mattered was the item it supported.
It was a full suit of armor. Or rather, "armor" hardly seemed the right word, because it looked more like a thin garment.
It was a deep blue throughout, shimmering with a faint metallic luster. The texture was fine and dense, more akin to fabric than metal. A subtle radiance emanated from it, visible even from a considerable distance. The overall design was unassuming—it looked like nothing more than form-fitting clothing.
Si Di gazed at the special garment with a hint of obsession, took a deep breath, and said, "My master has named it the Eight-Treasure Ruyi Soft Armor. Its toughness is sufficient to withstand the sixth Soul Skill of an assault-type Soul Master. Most remarkably, though it is forged from metal, it is extraordinarily elastic. Even if a Beast Soul Master's body doubles in size after activating their Martial Soul, the armor can stretch accordingly and maintain the same level of defense. This Eight-Treasure Ruyi Soft Armor was crafted from a special elastic memory metal, formed by fusing eight different metals in precise proportions, then shaped through wire-drawing techniques. As of now, in the entire forging world, only my master—the Divine Artificer Lord Lou Gao—possesses the ability to refine this metal. Owning this soft armor is equivalent to having a second life. I really don't want to say any more than this. I stake my life, my soul, and everything I have to guarantee to every distinguished guest here that this is a divine-grade creation. This metal was the result of a full ten years of research by Divine Artificer Lou Gao, along with countless experiments using numerous rare metals before it was finally successfully forged. The starting price is two hundred thousand gold soul coins. Bidding may now begin."
Tang San looked toward Lou Gao beside him, but the old man had already closed his eyes, resting peacefully, as though this item had nothing to do with him.
Elastic memory metal—a metal with the property of elasticity. It was nothing short of miraculous. Even with Tang San's understanding of forging, he could not fathom how Lou Gao had achieved it. Titan, himself a Divine Artificer, wore an expression of pure admiration and murmured, "He actually succeeded. It seems I've fallen behind him."
"Five hundred thousand gold soul coins. I'll bid the same price for the other piece as well. One million gold soul coins total. I trust there's no need to continue the bidding?" This time, Miles didn't wait for anyone else to bid. He封死 the price outright.
One million gold soul coins—a truly astronomical figure. The entire hall fell silent, and beneath the black robes concealing his face, Miles's expression was full of smug satisfaction. He had already planned everything: after the auction ended, he would return to the Martial Soul Main Hall under the pretense of raising funds and bring his men. Disguised, they would seize everything by force. He had originally only intended to cause trouble, but the appearance of two divine-grade armors had thoroughly captured his interest. The other soft armor was clearly designed for a woman. He intended to present it as a tribute to Pope Bibi Dong, while keeping the men's armor for himself. He was confident he could cover it up. With the soft armor, his combat strength would increase enormously—freed from worrying about defense, he could focus entirely on offense. And with a tribute to those above, he might even be able to leave this ordinary main city and receive a promotion.
Lou Gao slowly raised his head. Tang San, seated beside him, could clearly feel the fury radiating from the Divine Artificer. At this point in the auction, everyone understood that Miles was bidding irrationally just to cause a scene. The other items were one thing, but the two suits of armor on stage were Lou Gao's lifeblood. How could he tolerate such desecration?
The auction still had to continue, and after Miles's bid, no one could compete with him. One million gold soul coins was a figure that would rarely appear even at the most prestigious auction houses on the continent, let alone at the Blacksmith Association's auction, which was considered unremarkable. Those who had come were merely metal merchants—none of them possessed the kind of wealth to compete. It was precisely because no powerful bidder would appear that Miles dared act with such brazen impunity. In the end, it all came back to one truth: the status of blacksmithing in Soul Land was simply too low.
Si Di forced a smile to his face, announced Miles's successful bid, and then declared the auction concluded.
Lou Gao was the first to stand, striding out in large steps. Oscar accompanied Ning Rongrong to settle the payments and collect their purchases. Tang San silently took Xiao Wu's hand and followed Lou Gao with the others.
Back in Lou Gao's forging workshop, the Divine Artificer's face had turned extremely dark. Before long, his youngest disciple Si Di strode in, his face flushed with rage.
"This is too much, Master! That bidder was Miles! The bastard said he was going back to raise funds and already left!" Si Si's face was crimson with fury—he was beyond angry. But beneath the rage, there was also a trace of helpless resignation. Even if Miles had come to cause deliberate trouble, what could they do? The Blacksmith Association simply could not compare to Spirit Hall.
Lou Gao's face had turned a sickly shade of iron. "Put away the two sets of Yin-Yang Eight-Treasure Ruyi Soft Armor. They are never to be put up for auction again. Spirit Hall… what a Spirit Hall indeed…"
After his initial fury, a faint look of worry crept onto Si Di's face. "Master, just before Miles left, he told us to have the items ready. He said he'd come back with the money to collect them. Those two divine-grade artifacts you forged—he won't let them go easily. Should we come up with some kind of countermeasure?"
Lou Gao slammed his palm on the table. "What? A petty little Bishop thinks he can rob us outright?"
Tang San spoke up, his voice calm: "It's not impossible. Surely you're aware of Spirit Hall's status on the continent?"
Titan patted Lou Gao's shoulder. "Relax, old friend. With us here, we won't let them take your treasures. I haven't even had the chance to congratulate you yet on finally developing that metal."
A trace of sorrow surfaced in Lou Gao's eyes. "What good does it do? I'm still at the mercy of others. Tang San is right—this Miles is almost certainly coming to seize them by force. Titan, I know your strength, but you can protect me once, not forever. Even if you were willing to stay indefinitely, the gap between us and Spirit Hall is insurmountable."
Tang San said, "Leave this to me, Senior. After all, the only people from Spirit Hall who have seen your two divine-grade artifacts are from the Geng Xin City Main Hall."
Lou Gao's pupils contracted slightly. "Boy, what exactly are you saying?"
Tang San smiled faintly, but the sliver of ice in that smile sent a chill running through Lou Gao's bones. "Senior's joining the Tang Sect—consider this a gift from the Tang Sect." At these words, his voice paused briefly, and the cold aura emanating from his body intensified sharply. A freezing, tangible killing intent filled the entire forging workshop. Seven words, each one spoken with deliberate weight, fell from Tang San's lips: "A—dark—and—windy—night—for—killing."
Si Di was not yet familiar with Tang San and his companions, but hearing these words in an atmosphere so saturated with killing intent, he was struck by shock and a bone-deep chill. For reasons he could not explain, though the man before him was so young, his words carried an undeniable conviction.
A sharp edge entered Lou Gao's gaze as well. Though he had no combat ability, he was still a Soul Saint-level powerhouse, and facing Tang San's killing intent, all he felt was his blood running hot. "Good. Help me deal with them, and every item those Spirit Hall people won today—I'll sell to you at the starting bid price."
Tang San's eyes blazed with light. "Including the two divine-grade artifacts?"
A flicker of hesitation crossed Lou Gao's face, but he nodded. "Including. At least if you have them, I'll still be able to see them from time to time. And I trust you'll put my creations to their proper use."
Ma Hongjun chuckled. "Old Lou, I thought you were going to give them to us for free."
Lou Gao shot the fatty a fierce glare. "Bullshit! You think the Blacksmith Association is a charity?"
At that moment, Ning Rongrong and Oscar returned, having just caught the seven words Tang San had spoken. Neither said much—this had been part of the plan all along. Ning Rongrong stepped forward and took Xiao Wu's hand from Tang San's. Meanwhile, Oscar pulled over a dozen sausages of various kinds from somewhere and handed them to Tang San.
Tang San laughed. "It's been a while since I had one of your big sausages. Xiao Ao, does your Copy Mirror Image Sausage work on ordinary Soul Masters like us?"