Chapter 52 You Wouldn't Believe Me If I Said He's the Snow Emperor, Would You?_2
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"My lord, you must purchase this soul bone for integration..."
In the Spirit World, the Ice Emperor, after hearing the phrase Ice Explosion, strongly requested Qin Xiao to secure the soul bone at all costs.
She explained to Qin Xiao that for the Ice Jade Scorpion Clan, the ability Ice Explosion is an extremely rare and seldom-seen existence.
Even as the monarch of the Ice Jade Scorpion Clan, the Icy Jade Emperor Scorpion herself had not comprehended this ability.
The Ice Emperor even said that if she possessed this ability in the far northern lands, then she might have been the foremost of the three great kings instead of the Snow Emperor.
With her nearly four-hundred-thousand years of cultivation, she had hopes of defeating a nearly seven-hundred-thousand-year soul beast, indicating just how terrifying the Ice Explosion ability must be.
"Grandfather..."
As time slipped away, Meng Hongchen grew anxious.
Finally, Jing Hongchen replied, "Don't worry, I will bid for this soul bone."
Saying so, he glanced at Qin Xiao again.
Upon learning that the soul bone came from an Ice Jade Scorpion, he had resolved to win it at any cost.
Wasn't it a perfect match for Qin Xiao's second Martial Soul?
As for Meng Hongchen...
We are all family, why should we divide what's yours and mine so clearly?
Think about it from another angle, if even Qin Xiao belongs to Meng Hongchen... wouldn't that be profitable?
"This kid does have a bit of luck," Jing Hongchen muttered to himself.
"Hehe, I knew Grandfather is the best," Meng Hongchen chuckled happily.
After all, not many knew of Qin Xiao's Twin Martial Souls.
In the private room, there was only Jing Hongchen.
Jing Hongchen smiled slightly, with no intention of revealing Qin Xiao's Twin Martial Souls here.
As ten minutes passed, Xu Jiujiu announced the price of the soul bone as expected, "The eighth auction item, the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone, has a starting bid of twelve million golden soul coins, with each increment no less than fifty thousand golden soul coins!"
When her voice fell, it triggered a considerable response.
Bids continued to come in, and the numbers on the big screen surged like the rising tide.
Thirteen million, fourteen million, fifteen million...
Jing Hongchen stroked his chin, analyzing for a good while, then waved his hand grandly, "Twenty million!"
At these words, everyone was taken aback.
Others were raising the bid by fifty or a hundred thousand golden soul coins, yet you go ahead and raise it by five million golden soul coins?
Qing Ya was also startled.
This unremarkable old man was so domineering.
"Do you think I am being impulsive?"
Jing Hongchen smiled and said, "Actually not. According to my analysis, such a superior soul bone should have a value of at least twenty-five million.
If I were to raise the bid by fifty or a hundred thousand each time, surely many people would follow suit, constantly thinking that just a bit more would secure them the item. Unconsciously, the price would be driven up.
But by directly raising five million golden soul coins, I showed them my attitude and determination, forcing them to think twice before bidding. It prevents unnecessary struggle.
Besides, twenty million golden soul coins for a soul bone worth twenty-five million is a gain of five million golden soul coins for us.
When I report back to the Empire, I have no burden whatsoever."
It wasn't until Jing Hongchen's last sentence that everyone grasped his point.
So someone was footing the bill?
No problem then.
Qin Xiao gave a thumbs up to Jing Hongchen.
Because after Jing Hongchen's bid, the numbers on the big screen had ceased to climb.
In other words, no one else was bidding.
It seems that an increase of five million at once sobered everyone up.
Those who were extremely eager before had no choice but to carefully weigh their options.
Jing Hongchen's aggressive bid directly ended the competition, and no one dared to bid again until Xu Jiujiu declared the current item's auction over.
Meng Hongchen jumped up in excitement.
Elder Ma was still somewhat worried, repeatedly asking Jing Hongchen if it was worth it.
Jing Hongchen waved his hand, "This small amount of money, even if I were to pay it out of my own pocket, it wouldn't matter."
And that was the truth.
It was merely a matter of creating two or three Eighth-grade Soul Guidance Devices.
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Coming back to the subject, Qin Xiao believed purchasing the soul bone would be a gain.
Others who had been tricked by the Xingluo Empire might choose silence, accepting their bad luck.
But would Jing Hongchen and the Sun-Moon Empire behind him?
After they discovered the truth about the soul bone, wouldn't requesting a compensation of twenty million be reasonable?
In other words, this soul bone was like getting something for nothing.
...
At the same time.
Inside the number one VIP room.
Xu Jiawei's face revealed a satisfied smile at the final price.
Twenty million golden soul coins was already quite impressive.
Perhaps, for a Soul Master who could truly refine it, it was even a huge bargain.
But... are there really any Soul Masters with the Ultimate Ice Martial Soul in Soul Land?
No!
This soul bone has been with the Xingluo for several years now, and despite sending people everywhere in search, he had not found a suitable candidate who could absorb this soul bone.
If it weren't for this year's income from the Soul Master competition being far below expectations, not having enough revenue, he wouldn't have taken out such a top-quality soul bone to sell.
However, just at that moment, someone outside the door knocked lightly a few times before hurrying in.
"Your Majesty, something went wrong, the soul bone was bought by the Sun-Moon Empire."
"What?" Xu Jiawei's face showed a look of astonishment, "The Sun-Moon Empire, a bunch of soul tool users, what do they want with this thing?"
...
"Look, Jiu Jiu has changed into a golden dress, the last treasure of the auction, its value might exceed one hundred million golden soul coins, ah."
In the private room, Xiao Hongchen exclaimed in surprise, pointing at the screen.
During their earlier casual conversation, Qing Ya had already explained that wearing a gold auction outfit meant that the next item up for bid might sell for more than one hundred million golden soul coins.
Qin Xiao couldn't help but sit up straighter and fixated his gaze onto the soul guiding screen without shifting it.
He knew that the main event that could stir up a huge commotion in Soul Land had arrived.
Jiu Jiu was beautiful.
In her gold court dress, she looked regal and elegant, without losing a touch of grace. The tight fit outlined her enchanting curves perfectly.
But Qin Xiao had no interest in admiring her beauty, focusing all his attention on the white tray on the auction stage.
There was a wooden tray with at least a hundred various gems inlaid on it. On this modest wooden tray, a stream of air was gently undulating.
This stream of air, however, stayed condensed without dispersing, dashing to the left and right atop the tray, as if trying to break free.
But the tray was no ordinary object; as the air stream blasted against it, it continuously emitted a pale golden light shield, enveloping it within, preventing any escape.
"Ladies and gentlemen, from Jiu Jiu's attire, you should be able to tell how precious our final auction item will be today. Frankly, this is the only time I have seen such an item in my life. In my opinion, its value is very difficult to measure in money," said Jiu Jiu, directing everyone's attention to the gem-encrusted wooden tray, "Jiu Jiu will introduce it bit by bit. First of all, this item is called a Divine Seal Altar, a level 9 Soul Guidance Device. And this isn't even the most valuable part..."
As soon as she finished speaking, everywhere except for the number one private room, there was an uproar.
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"A level 9 Soul Guidance Device, the Divine Seal Altar?"
"I had no idea which old guy made this..."
Jing Hongchen's brows were furrowed, his voice cold.
Everyone could tell he harbored an intense desire to smash someone to pieces.
A level 9 Soul Guidance Device was a strategic weapon that absolutely couldn't fall into the hands of others.
Furthermore, the research value of a level 9 Soul Guidance Device was immense; if the other three empires and Shrek were to discover something about it, it would be a huge loss.
Elder Ma quickly tried to calm things down, fearing Jing Hongchen would act impulsively and do something inappropriate: "Hall Master, please don't be rash, after we return to Ming City, we can investigate slowly."
In Qin Xiao's mind, the Ice Emperor was somewhat puzzled, "Looking at this air stream, I have a familiar feeling... but where have I seen it before?"
Of course you're familiar with it; it's your good sister you've known for N-many years.
Qin Xiao didn't know what the Ice Emperor would feel after learning about the Snow Emperor's fate.
But he decided to issue a preemptive warning nonetheless.
To avoid the Ice Emperor being unable to accept reality later on.
"If I said that this air stream is the Snow Emperor transformed, you probably wouldn't believe me, would you?" he said, his voice rising in the Spirit Space.
"Whom did you say?"
"The Snow Emperor?"
Rarely, the Ice Emperor actually laughed, "Hehehe, my lord, you really can joke."