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As night deepened, the sky completely darkened. A massive full moon hung high in the firmament, its cold light showering the earth.
Tang Chuan and Dugu Bo arrived in front of a colossal, semi-circular buildingâa high-rise with a diameter of at least five hundred meters and a maximum height of eighty meters. Prominently displayed on it were the five large characters: "Heaven Dou Auction House"!
At its entrance stood four tall, slender young women. Seeing Dugu Bo and Tang Chuan walk straight towards them, one of the young women stepped forward, bowed slightly, and asked, "Sirs, are you here to attend tonight's auction?"
Tang Chuan nodded slightly.
"Do you have an auction qualification certificate?" the young woman continued to ask.
Tang Chuan was momentarily stunned, turning to look at Dugu Bo beside him.
Dugu Bo frowned slightly at Tang Chuan's sudden look, then took out a green card from his Pregnant (storage Spirit Tool) and handed it to the young woman. She respectfully took the card, examined it carefully, then, with a respectful expression, gestured for them to enter the auction house.
Led by the young woman, Tang Chuan smoothly entered the auction house. Along the way, his gaze was drawn to various display cases, which contained sharp weapons, sturdy armor, spirit tools for storage with different functions, and various rare medicinal materials, Heaven And Earth Treasures. The dazzling array of items was overwhelming.
Finally, led by the young woman, they arrived at a room. The young woman produced two exquisite masks from somewhere, handed them to Tang Chuan and Dugu Bo, and respectfully said, "Sirs, to protect the privacy of every distinguished guest, the auction house has specially prepared masks that can conceal your aura."
"Please wear them, and then I can escort you to the auction hall."
Tang Chuan did not hesitate, directly reaching out to take and put on the mask, then asked, "If I want to auction some items here, how should I proceed?"
"Distinguished guest, what items do you plan to auction?" The young woman paused slightly, looking at him with a hint of surprise, and asked respectfully.
Tang Chuan said indifferently, "A Medicinal Pill that can enhance a Spirit Master's strength."
Upon hearing this, a flicker of joy immediately flashed in the young woman's eyes, and she quickly said, "Then please follow me, I will take you to the treasure appraisal room."
Led by the young woman, Tang Chuan and Dugu Bo entered a spacious room. In the center of the room, a row of long tables was arranged, behind which sat a dozen appraisers of various ages, all busy with their heads down. The young woman led the two to a middle-aged appraiser wearing black glasses.
Upon seeing the newcomers, the middle-aged appraiser yawned and said lazily, "What do you have to appraise and auction? Put it up. Hurry up, there are others waiting in line."
Hearing this, Tang Chuan took out two jade bottles from his embrace and placed them steadily on the table.
"What is this? Selling bottles? Judging by the color, these bottles are just so-so. Could they be spirit tools?" The middle-aged appraiser leaned closer to look at the jade bottles on the table, frowning slightly.
Waving his hand lightly, Tang Chuan's lips curved into a proud smile, and he said, "I'm not here to sell any spirit tools, but to sell Medicinal Pills."
As his voice fell, the middle-aged appraiser, who had initially been somewhat perfunctory, immediately brightened up, leaning forward, his eyes showing a hint of interest. "Medicinal Pills? What effect do your Medicinal Pills have? Could they be those Medicinal Pills with certain healing effects? If so, they might fetch some money."
"No! My Medicinal Pills are not for healing, but are specially refined to enhance a Spirit Master's strength," Tang Chuan shook his head and explained. At this point, he pointed to the jade bottle on the left. "This is called the Soul Augmentation Pill. Any Spirit Master below Rank 40 who takes it can directly increase their spirit power by two Ranks."
Then, he pointed to the jade bottle on the right and continued. "This is called the Soul Recovery Pill. If a Spirit Master below Rank 50 takes it when their spirit power is depleted, it can quickly restore a large amount of their spirit power, allowing them to regain combat effectiveness."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room instantly quieted down, and even the casually indifferent appraisers nearby all raised their heads, casting curious glances this way.
The middle-aged appraiser wearing black glasses, after hearing Tang Chuan's words, instantly lost his lazy expression. His whole body jolted, his eyes fixed on the two jade bottles on the table, his face suddenly changed drastically, and he almost sprang from his seat.
"You... what did you say?" he stammered. "These Medicinal Pills can directly increase a Spirit Master's spirit power Rank, or restore spirit power?!"
On the current Douluo Continent, there was almost no concept of refining Medicinal Pills. It wasn't until ten thousand years later that sporadic Medicinal Pills appeared, and most of them were crude Medicinal Pill products. The more famous ones at that time were merely the Profound Water Pill and the Soul Ascension Pill; the former could nourish the body and cleanse the meridians, while the latter could slightly increase a Spirit Master's spirit power in a short period. But now, this was still the Douluo Continent from ten thousand years ago. In people's perception, Medicinal Pills were almost only at the level of healing, capable of treating superficial wounds or delaying the worsening of injuries, which was already considered a rare marvel.
However, the Medicinal Pills Tang Chuan had now brought out claimed to be able to directly enhance a Spirit Master's strength, and even rapidly restore spirit power! This effect could be said to have overturned everyone's perception.
"That's right, my Medicinal Pills can indeed increase spirit power Rank."
The appraiser's breath hitched, his face still showing deep shock and disbelief. He hesitated for a moment, and said with a slightly trembling voice. "But this... this is after all just your word, without proof. How can it be proven?"
His eyes darkened, Tang Chuan was not angered, but rather said lightly, "If you don't believe it, you can naturally find someone to test it. Aren't your auction house known for its rigor and credibility? This kind of thing, entrusting it to you for verification, is most suitable."
Hearing this, the appraiser's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, then he carefully picked up the two jade bottles on the table and said, "In that case, please wait a moment, distinguished guests."
"Hmm, please be quick." Waving his hand, Tang Chuan was not polite, directly sat down on a nearby chair, and then began to close his eyes and rest.
The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly, then hurried out of the room.
Half an hour later, the middle-aged appraiser almost sprinted back. At this moment, his face was slightly flushed from urgency, and his demeanor no longer held the arrogance and disdain from before, but was instead filled with respect and excitement.
"Sir! Our auction house has completed the appraisal, and your Medicinal Pills are indeed as you said, capable of directly increasing the spirit power Rank of a Spirit Master below Rank 40! And the other Medicinal Pill can even rapidly restore spirit power when it is depleted! Such Medicinal Pills are truly Heaven-Defying items!" Walking up to Tang Chuan, he even changed his address, his voice trembling but extremely solemn.
"In that case, should we proceed with the auction immediately?" The auction house's appraisal method was also very simple. They would directly find a Spirit Master below Rank 40 to take the Medicinal Pill, and then test their spirit power Rank.
Tang Chuan nodded slightly. "Good, then take me to the auction room. I want to see what good things you have for sale here."
"Yes, Sir!" Hearing this, the middle-aged appraiser quickly bowed in salute. Then, he bowed and made a gesture of invitation, personally leading Tang Chuan and Dugu Bo through the long corridor towards the auction room.
Meanwhile, in the shadows on the other side of the auction house, a tall and burly figure quietly emerged, draped in a loose grey robe, his hood pulled low, almost concealing most of his face. It was unclear when or from where he had infiltrated the auction house.
As Tang Chuan and Dugu Bo's figures disappeared at the end of the corridor, his gaze slightly sharpened, and his figure also vanished from its original spot.
In Spirit City, at the Supreme Pontiff Palace, within the towering palace, the lights were brilliant, yet it felt as oppressive as an abyss.
Bibi Dong sat on the high throne, her eyes sharp, an invisible pressure subtly emanating from her. At this moment, her face was grim, and she was angrily shouting at the red-robed bishop below.
"You truly are a bunch of useless people! After all this time, you still haven't found a single Tang San. I refuse to believe he can just disappear from the Douluo Continent into thin air!"
As her voice fell, the surrounding air suddenly solidified. All the Spirit Hall members standing by kept their heads down, not daring to breathe.
At this moment, a red-robed bishop trembled and took a step forward. Cold sweat seeped from his forehead, his voice quivering, but he bit the bullet and said, "Your Holiness the Supreme Pontiff... it's not entirely without results. Although... although we still haven't found Tang San's exact whereabouts, but..."
Swallowing hard, he cautiously glanced at Bibi Dong, then quickly lowered his head and continued. "But recently, news came from Heaven Dou City, saying that the Blue Tyrant Academy in the city has secretly changed its name to Shrek Academy. And this is the name of the academy Tang San was in before."