Seated on the sofa in the VIP room, Shui Jixi presented a stark contrast to the delicate and pitiable image she had displayed earlier.
Her long, slender legs were crossed beneath a flowing white chiffon dress, while her flawless chin rested lightly on her fair wrist. Her expression, however, was as cold as millennia-old ice, and her blue eyes shimmered with a hint of venomous resentment.
Through the amethyst crystal wall, she glanced sidelong toward the auction center below.
"Hmph! What a Viscount of Southern Moon Islands."
It was her first time tasting such profound sense defeat at the hands of a man. Ever since meeting Yao Yang five years ago, she had been subtly trying to get closer to him.
It wasn't out of admiration for Yao Yang but because his status and strength made her see potential benefits. Over the years, she had painstakingly cultivated a disguise for herself as a fragile and virtuous woman in order to catch Yao Yang's attention.
Beside her, Shui Qianqian noticed the icy glint in Shui Jixi's gaze. Frowning, she gently tried to dissuade her, "Auntie, let it go. Continuing like this won't lead to any good. Although our Silverfin Pirate Crew may be weaker, we still control Moon Halo Island. There's no need to get involved with that Viscount of Southern Moon Islands."
"Qianqian, you don't understand. The tax revenue from Moon Hub Island is at least three times that of Moon Halo Island. Moon Hub is the wealthiest among the Southern Moon Islands." The frost in Shui Jixi's eyes melted instantly, replaced by a delicate and fragile demeanor as she caressed Shui Qianqian's face, which was even fairer and more delicate than her own.
"For us, our beauty is the greatest asset. You must learn to wield it skillfully and extract benefits from men. If not for that wretched woman Zhu Yao interfering all these years, I would've already achieved my goals. If I had, think about it—would we still need to spend money at this auction for that thousand-year-old Evil Spirit Orca?"
Shui Qianqian was momentarily speechless. She felt that her values conflicted significantly with her aunt's. However, considering that she was her elder, she didn't want to refute her again.
"Haa." Sighing softly, she suppressed her emotions and turned her attention to the auction center below.
What neither of them realized was that their every move was being closely observed by Xu Zihuang and his two companions from the top-tier VIP room on the opposite side.
"Haha." Yao Yang, standing in front of the crystal wall, chuckled lightly. He turned to Xu Zihuang beside him and advised, "Zihuang, you'll inevitably encounter women like her in the future. Be sure to be cautious."
Xu Zihuang responded with a faint smile and a nod, remaining silent. Thanks to the sharp observation afforded by his Golden Eye Martial Soul, he had seen through Shui Jixi's duplicitous nature from the very beginning.
Meanwhile, the first auction item had been brought onto the stage by an attendant and carefully placed on a tray. Zhu Yao, the host standing on the platform, greeted the audience with a warm smile before introducing the item.
"I believe everyone has seen the announcement from our Moon Hub Auction House. Today's auction is extraordinary, so I'll skip the formalities. The first item up for bidding is a Class 5 soul tool, the Invincible Barrier. The starting price is 100,000 gold soul coins. Bidding will begin in five minutes, with increments no less than 500 gold soul coins."
Zhu Yao's brief introduction was enough to ignite the enthusiasm of the bidders below, as the words "Invincible Barrier" alone were exhilarating.
The Invincible Barrier, a soul tool developed based on an extremely rare soul skill called Paragon Golden Body, it required a unique golden crystal—a specialty of the Sun Moon Empire—as a medium. When activated via the core array, it could instantly unleash the energy within the crystal to generate formidable defense.
Of course, "invincible" was a relative term.
The lowest-grade Invincible Barrier was a class 5 soul tool, requiring at least Soul King-level power to operate. A class 5 invincible barrier could block any attack below the level of an eight-ringed Soul Douluo for three seconds. A class 6 invincible barrier could defend against even ordinary Titled Douluo attacks for the same duration. As for class 7 and higher invincible barriers, they were extremely rare and valued on par with top-quality ten-thousand-year-old soul bones.
After all, soul bones could only enhance oneself, but possessing a class 7 Invincible Barrier was tantamount to having an extra life.
Invincible Barriers were lifesaving treasures; they were quite popular among the soul masters, much like the milk bottles or soul-applying bottles that could rapidly replenish a soul master's energy, making them highly coveted and perpetually in short supply.
However, the drawbacks of the Invincible Barrier are also evident. Firstly, it's quite expensive. Although the production of the Invincible Barrier itself isn't too difficult, the supply of golden crystal stones is extremely low. The higher the level of the Invincible Barrier, the higher the quality of the golden crystal stones required.
More importantly, regardless of the level, the Invincible Barrier is a single-use disposable item. Once used, the golden crystal stone inside will explode immediately, damaging the Invincible Barrier itself. Therefore, this item is not affordable for ordinary soul masters.
In comparison, the soul tool shield used by the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion against the Evil Spirit Orca's group was far more cost-effective.
Xu Zihuang showed no reaction to this item. Having previously reviewed the list of ten auctioned items, he knew this Class 5 Invincible Barrier was crafted by the members of Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion.
High-class soul engineers were never short of wealth; selling just one soul tool could earn tens of thousands of gold soul coins. When the legion mentioned financial constraints earlier, they were referring to a lack of rare metals, not funds.
Among high-class soul engineers, top-tier rare metals were the real currency.
The invincible barrier's price quickly soared to 200,000 gold soul coins and eventually settled at 250,000, purchased by the leader of the Purple Serpent Pirate Crew. In the Southern Moon Islands, far from the Sun Moon Empire's mainland, a Class 5 Invincible Barrier was indeed a rare commodity.
Subsequent items were mostly soul tools crafted by members of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion.
Of course, the auctioned soul tools were carefully selected to avoid revealing any core technology.
Xu Zihuang watched the proceedings with a calm demeanor. As a member of the imperial family, his experiences had granted him high standards. What seemed like premium items to the bidders were merely average in his eyes.
However, when the seventh item—a jar of whale oil extracted from the head of a 9000-year-old Demon Soul Great White Shark—appeared, Xu Zihuang proactively asked Yao Yang to help him win it.
The whale oil from the head of a Demon Soul Great White Shark nourished meridians and enhanced spiritual power. Even with his status back then, Xu Zihuang rarely had the opportunity to acquire such a treasure.