Teams that passed the elimination rounds in the morning all sat in the rest area on the west side of the competition stage to watch the matches, just as Wang Yan had instructed.
They also wanted to observe the abilities of potential opponents in the later rounds.
No one was absent, except for injured contestants.
Although Wang Nan's appearance in the morning was brief, that golden spirit ring left a deep impression on everyone.
Sitting in the rest area, Wang Nan could feel the people from the Sun Moon Empire constantly glancing at him.
In this strange atmosphere, the afternoon matches quickly concluded.
"I'm going out for a stroll tonight. Want to come along?" Wang Nan asked Ma Xiaotao as they made their way back to the hotel from Star Luo Plaza.
"Okay," Ma Xiaotao's lips curled into a smile, and she immediately nodded.
Wang Yan looked back but didn't stop them.
"Be careful when you go out, and the same goes for everyone else. It's best to go out in groups so you can look out for each other."
Behind them, Xu Sanshi and Beibei had already huddled together, looking mischievous.
"I finally understand what you meant by that sentence."
"What sentence?" Beibei asked, confused.
He had said countless things to Xu Sanshi that day and had no idea which one he was referring to.
"It's about the thing that no one else can know," Xu Sanshi said, raising both hands to emphasize his point.
"Cough," Beibei unconsciously lowered his voice. "Just know that I'm doing this for your own good."
Separating from the group, Wang Nan and Ma Xiaotao walked side by side down the street.
During the Soul Duel Tournament, Star Luo City was even more crowded than usual, and as soon as they reached the street, they were practically swallowed by the flow of people.
Wang Nan was slowly moving forward with the crowd when an arm quietly linked with his.
Turning his head, he saw only a mass of red hair, but couldn't see Ma Xiaotao's expression.
After passing through a few streets, the crowd finally thinned out a bit.
"Alright, this is the place."
Ma Xiaotao looked up at the sound, seeing an inconspicuous building before them.
Above the main entrance, there was a hammer symbol, with golden platform patterns drawn beneath it.
"You're going to an auction?" Ma Xiaotao asked, puzzled.
"I don't know if there's anything I want inside yet. Let's go in and take a look first."
Ma Xiaotao nodded.
She didn't care where they were going.
Entering the auction house, they saw a staircase covered with a red carpet.
There were no other staff members nearby, so Wang Nan and Ma Xiaotao followed the stairs down until they reached the registration area about twenty meters later.
"Hello, esteemed guests. If you wish to participate in tonight's auction, please register here."
Several beautiful young women stood at the registration desk, smiling as they saw Wang Nan and Ma Xiaotao approach.
"Would it be convenient to introduce tonight's auction items?"
"I apologize, but we are not allowed to reveal our auction items in advance. However, due to the Soul Duel Tournament, we will be holding a special auction every night this month. Tonight's theme is spirit tools. Are you interested, esteemed guest?"
Wang Nan's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he nodded.
After completing the procedures, one of the young women stepped forward, handed each of them a number plate, and then led them through an ancient wooden door.
The scene before them suddenly changed.
The passage widened, paved with precious ivory-white jade bricks, and every few steps, there was a pair of pillars carved with magnificent patterns.
The walls seemed to be wrapped in gold foil, and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling of the passage.
Even Ma Xiaotao, a Disciple of the Shrek Academy Inner Courtyard, looked up, observing the various luxurious decorations around her.
"Have you had any particularly special auction items here before?" Wang Nan asked casually.
"What aspect are you referring to, esteemed guest? If it's about price, we've had quite a few expensive items auctioned here."
Wang Nan had only probed briefly and didn't ask for too much detail.
Those who could lead the way here were extremely shrewd individuals, and asking further would only arouse suspicion.
"Then pick a few to introduce."
"Certainly."
The young woman introduced items while leading the two deeper inside.
It wasn't until a large door appeared before them that the young woman stopped and looked at Wang Nan.
"Hello, esteemed guest, this is the venue for tonight's special auction. The auction will begin promptly in half an hour. After it concludes, if you wish to participate in other sessions, you only need to return to the front desk to collect a new number plate."
"Alright, thank you for your hard work."
"Thank you. If you have any other needs, you can always find me at the front."
Seeing the young woman leave, Ma Xiaotao looked at Wang Nan with a puzzled expression. "With Ye Xiaosheng around, you shouldn't be short on spirit tools, right?"
"Since we're already here, it's good to go in and broaden our horizons," Wang Nan smiled, putting on the monkey mask provided by the auction house.
After finding their seats according to their number plates, Wang Nan and Ma Xiaotao chatted in low voices, and half an hour quickly passed.
"Welcome, esteemed guests, to the Starlight Auction House. Our auction will begin shortly."
A voice rang out, and the lights in the auction hall instantly dimmed as a woman in a purple gown walked out.
She must be the auctioneer for this event.
As time passed, one spirit tool after another was brought onto the auction stage and auctioned off amidst a chorus of bids.
They were all low-rank spirit tools.
For Wang Nan, spirit tools below Rank Six would be of much less help, so he hadn't made a move until the auctioneer spoke again.
"Finally, we have one mysterious item to present. Although it is not a spirit tool, it is closely related to every Soul Master."
As she spoke, a cart slowly rolled onto the stage from one side of the auction platform, covered with a dazzling red cloth.
As soon as it appeared, the Evil Breaking Dragon in Wang Nan's spiritual sea suddenly became active, as if it had sensed something.
It's here.
Wang Nan's eyes lit up slightly.
While there was some luck involved in encountering it, it was also destined.
This item was not the first time it had appeared on the Starlight Auction House's auction stage. However, its notorious reputation meant that no Spirit Master or Soul Master was willing to buy it, causing it to go unsold repeatedly until it appeared in an auction of this lower caliber.
The next moment, the red cloth was removed, revealing a dark, finger-thick object, about half a foot long, before everyone's eyes.
"As everyone knows, on the Douluo Continent, carving knives also have a ranking, and those within the top one hundred are called listed carving knives."
At this point, some in the audience had already guessed what this item was.
"And what you see before you is the ninety-ninth ranked listed carving knife, the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, known as the 'Ominous Blade!'"