Inside the Starlight Auction House's most luxurious top-tier hall, dazzling lights illuminated the space as bright as day.
Every seat was taken. Wealthy nobles, powerful soul masters, and representatives of major forces from across the continent had gathered, all eager to witness the fate of countless rare treasures in this grand auction event.
Shrek Academy's members sat in the VIP section, their eyes following the auctioneer's hammer closely, not willing to miss a single item that might benefit their academy's future.
The auction proceeded in an orderly fashion, with one precious treasure after another being sold.
Dai Yueheng sat upright, determination gleaming in his eyes, as he personally bid on an eighth-tier Soul Tool—the Dominating Tiger Soul Refining Blade—which had been forged through soul bone fusion.
The moment the blade appeared, an audible gasp swept through the crowd. Its aura was so fierce it felt as if it could slice the very air apart.
During the fierce bidding war, Dai Yueheng never wavered. Against multiple rivals, each of his bids was firm and decisive.
At last, when the auctioneer's final hammer struck, Dai Yueheng successfully secured the Dominating Tiger Soul Refining Blade for 1.56 million gold soul coins.
He knew this blade would not only greatly enhance his combat strength but also serve as a hidden trump card in future battles.
Meanwhile, Cao Jinxuan kept his focus on the twelve specialized sixth-tier stationary soul-guided cannon shells, just as Zhou Sicheng had instructed.
Arranged on a specially made display case, each shell radiated a dangerous aura, brimming with destructive power.
During the bidding, Cao Jinxuan carefully analyzed the pace of his competitors' offers, seizing the perfect moment to strike.
After a tense competition, he successfully won all twelve shells, already thinking about how the Soul Tool Department teachers might use them to make a breakthrough in Shrek's soul tool research.
Other members of Shrek Academy also found their own gains during the auction.
With so many rare treasures available, everyone managed to secure something valuable—whether rare cultivation resources to break through bottlenecks or unique soul skill manuscripts promising greater future power.
Just as the crowd thought the auction's surprises were over, an unexpected turn came.
Wang Dong, usually laid-back and seemingly indifferent, suddenly joined the bidding for a ten-thousand-year left arm soul bone with uncharacteristic focus and determination.
The hall erupted in excitement once more as bids flew rapidly. Yet Wang Dong showed no hesitation, decisively raising the price again and again.
In the end, he claimed the soul bone for 1.2 million gold soul coins, shocking everyone present—including his own teammates from Shrek.
Originally, aside from the two last-minute substitutions made by the royal family, there were three rather average-quality ten-thousand-year soul bones up for auction.
While the one Wang Dong bought was not exceptional among ten-thousand-year soul bones, it was still the best of the three available.
But this decision puzzled many. Given Wang Dong's mysterious identity and astonishing potential—shown clearly in his second ring already reaching the thousand-year level—an ordinary-quality soul bone should have been meaningless to him.
Only a few of the other reserve team members seemed to have an inkling of Wang Dong's true intentions.
When Zhou Sicheng learned about it, he too was caught off guard.
He knew Wang Dong's real identity. With the Haotian Sect's deep heritage, Wang Dong had absolutely no need for such a soul bone.
So why spend such a massive amount of money to buy it? There could only be one explanation—it was meant for Huo Yuhao, who was still cultivating back at the academy.
Even so, Zhou Sicheng couldn't understand what had happened between the two.
Wang Dong was infamously proud and stubborn, yet now he had spent a fortune for Yuhao's sake.
Although the soul bone's quality was only average, for someone at Huo Yuhao's level, it would be a tremendous boost. It would not only unlock more of his potential but also significantly accelerate his growth.
Wang Dong's actions clearly showed the bond between the two ran deeper than outsiders could guess. Zhou Sicheng could hardly believe nothing special had happened between them.
Still, he quickly pushed the matter aside. As long as it didn't interfere with his own plans, it wasn't his concern. Those two little fellows could deal with their relationship however they liked.
Later, the two replacement finale treasures announced by the royal family turned out to be two high-quality soul bones.
The moment they appeared, their immense aura seized everyone's attention, leaving many speechless with admiration.
Ultimately, both soul bones were claimed by the Sun Moon Empire delegation.
Fortunately, despite the royal family's earlier misleading announcements, the Sun Moon representatives didn't make trouble.
After all, acquiring two five-thousand-year-plus high-grade soul bones was already an enormous win for them.
With the auction concluded, Shrek's group returned to their hotel with their respective gains.
Once back in their rooms, everyone immediately entered cultivation, preparing for the upcoming Top Sixteen elimination rounds.
They knew full well that their next opponents would be far stronger, making every second of training crucial.
When all sixteen advancing academies were decided, the matchups were announced.
According to the rules, each group's first place would face a second-place team from another group.
This naturally gave group winners an advantage since they had already proven their superiority during the round-robin phase.
However, Shrek's draw gave them a formidable opponent: Dou Ling Academy, the number-one academy of the Dou Ling Empire.
Dou Ling's lineup was stacked: five Soul Kings and two Soul Elders, their collective strength placing them firmly among the top contenders.
The only reason they had not topped their group was the emergence of a dark horse team that had narrowly defeated them in a key match.
Under normal circumstances, Dou Ling had never failed to secure first place in the group stage.
Thus, for Shrek Academy, this was a truly elite matchup.
If they continued fielding only their reserve team, their chances of victory were almost nonexistent.
Dou Ling Academy wasn't a traditional soul master school either—their members were adept at integrating soul tools into combat.
Imagine them deploying instant-trigger invincible shields during battle. That would completely neutralize Cao Jinxuan's meticulously crafted time-control tactics, leaving Shrek at a huge disadvantage.
On paper, the matchup looked hopeless: five Soul Kings and two Soul Elders versus Shrek's six Soul Elders and one Soul Grandmaster.
When the draw was announced, a heavy silence fell over Shrek's reserve team.
The glorious "make-our-name" battle they had hoped for might end here in the top sixteen.
Anxiety and frustration clouded everyone's minds, yet beneath that unease, a stubborn flame of defiance began to burn.
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