Soon after, the two people in the room returned to their previous appearances.
He Caitou was honest and simple-minded as always, while Xu Zihuang maintained his gentle expression. Everything that had just happened seemed as if it had never occurred.
The two continued their conversation according to their public identities, exchanging the advanced theories and insights they had gained from studying in Mingde Hall over the past six months, until Fan Yu returned.
Xu Zihuang also took the opportunity to inform Fan Yu that he planned to go sightseeing in Mingdu with Ke Ke tomorrow.
Although Fan Yu was a little worried, considering Yu Tianhuang's powerful individual strength, he thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. After all, this was Mingdu, the capital of the Sun Moon Empire—safety was basically guaranteed.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were similarly at Shrek Academy as exchange hostages. If anything unexpected happened to Yu Tianhuang, Fan Yu believed that the Lord of the Illustrious Virtue Hall would be even more anxious than he was. Moreover, since it was within Mingdu, he could respond promptly if needed.
After giving a few simple reminders, the three parted ways—some to cultivate, others to continue making soul tools.
They had all come to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy with missions from Shrek Academy. Two and a half years was by no means a long time, so they naturally had to make full use of it.
Especially Fan Yu and He Caitou—their responsibilities were no less than Xu Zihuang's. Yet, unlike Xu Zihuang with his abnormal Golden Eyes martial soul talent, although they had gained something in the past six months, they were still some distance from reaching the goals they had set.
Xu Zihuang, as usual, sat cross-legged on his bed and entered a meditative cultivation state. No matter how great his talent, he would never slack off in cultivation.
On the contrary, he worked harder than anyone else in this regard.
On the Douluo Continent, the strength of the innate soul power one awakened at age six when their martial soul awakened basically determined the achievements they could reach in the future.
However, the importance of acquired effort could not be denied.
The difference was that when a genius worked hard, they became an even more outstanding genius, whereas a waste, no matter how hard they tried, without a heaven-defying opportunity to change their fate, would only end up ordinary. Because their upper limit was already set, hard work could, at best, only raise their lower limit.
In cultivation, the night passed swiftly.
Xu Zihuang finished his morning cultivation, freshened up, and arrived early at the Sun Moon Plaza located in the very center of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. Because the holidays had begun, the vast Sun Moon Plaza was almost empty.
Today, Xu Zihuang wore a close-fitting black outfit. He never wronged himself when it came to daily necessities. This ordinary-looking black outfit was made from the finest materials, extremely comfortable, and even capable of withstanding a certain degree of soul power impact.
Only by carefully touching and observing could one discover this. From the surface, it looked like perfectly ordinary clothing.
Even so, it could not conceal his transcendent temperament.
Not long after, Ke Ke arrived as well. Her outfit was the exact opposite color of Xu Zihuang's, a bright silver outfit that made her figure appear slightly taller. Her dark red hair was tied into twin tails that rested on her shoulders.
She looked a little less soft and feminine, and a little more valiant.
"Tianhuang, you've never properly strolled around Mingdu, right?" Ke Ke boldly patted Xu Zihuang's shoulder and laughed. "But it's fine. With this lady leading the way, I guarantee you won't lose out. Come on, what do you plan to buy and sell?"
Xu Zihuang started walking side by side with her and nodded frankly.
"The level-five Invincible Barrier I made earlier is useless to me now, so I plan to sell it. Besides that, I want to buy some special, rare metals and a Secret Technique Soul Bone with fusion properties. Secret Technique Soul Bones are something your Sun Moon Empire developed, so there shouldn't be any shortage of them here in Mingdu, right?"
The reason he wanted to purchase a Secret Technique Soul Bone with fusion properties was precisely to prepare to fuse the two head soul bones he had obtained from the Dual-Headed Nether Wolf.
Ke Ke had clearly guessed as much.
But what concerned her more was Xu Zihuang's previous sentence.
"You're going to sell that level-five Invincible Barrier?!" Ke Ke looked speechless. To her, a level-five Invincible Barrier was an absolute life-saving trump card, yet to Yu Tianhuang it was something he could discard at will.
"Fine, fine. We common folk really can't compare to spoiled young masters from great families like you who've seen the world."
She was straightforward by nature and only meant it as a casual complaint, nothing more.
"In that case, I know a place that should satisfy all your needs. Follow me. Come to think of it, Sister Juzi and I used to go there often to sell soul tools and buy rare metals. Speaking of Sister Juzi, I heard from Teacher Xuan that she joined the army and went to the empire's western border and southern sea region to fight the sea soul beasts harassing our waters. I wonder how she's doing lately. Seriously, she hasn't even sent us a single letter to tell us how she is."
Ke Ke spoke to herself as she walked, while Xu Zihuang listened patiently by her side.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me?" Seeing Xu Zihuang remain silent, Ke Ke pouted in annoyance.
Xu Zihuang revealed a helpless smile.
"Then what would Senior Ke Ke like me to say?"
Ke Ke wrinkled her delicate nose, turned her head to meet his gaze, and said seriously, "What exactly do you think of Sister Juzi?"
"How I feel isn't important. From the moment Senior Juzi left the academy to join the army, she had already made her choice." Xu Zihuang replied calmly.
Hearing this answer, complicated emotions surged in Ke Ke's heart—both regret for Juzi and Tianhuang, and also a trace of relief.
Back then, when Yu Tianhuang had stripped her naked in the Ming Dou Great Forest to detoxify her, it was impossible to say it hadn't moved her at all.
And Yu Tianhuang's excellence was obvious to everyone. After spending the past six months together, she had to admit that her feelings for him had long surpassed mere favorable impression.
For Ke Ke, age was no longer the primary obstacle; the ambiguous relationship between Yu Tianhuang and Juzi had been.
But now, the words Yu Tianhuang had just spoken clearly indicated that whatever had been between him and Juzi was essentially over.
Along with the relief came a bit of guilt toward Juzi.
"Sorry, Sister Juzi," Ke Ke murmured in her heart, looking at Xu Zihuang with a slightly different light in her eyes.
Since there's basically no chance between you and this stinking fellow anymore, he might as well be mine!
At this thought, a charming blush appeared on her fair face.
She didn't want to miss out on such an outstanding Yu Tianhuang.
Noticing the change in Ke Ke's expression, Xu Zihuang was slightly stunned inwardly.
Wait, did I make you misunderstand something?
In truth, Ke Ke's usual physical interactions with him already said a lot. A girl, no matter how bold her personality, wouldn't casually initiate intimate physical contact with a man unless she had considerable good feelings toward him.
And her subsequent actions only further confirmed his suspicions.
After leaving the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, Ke Ke led Xu Zihuang straight into the bustling commercial district of the southern city.
As someone "strolling Mingdu for the first time," Xu Zihuang could only let Ke Ke lead the way.
The metallic and towering Mingdu naturally also had down-to-earth snack streets.
Ke Ke stopped in front of a food cart. On the iron griddle lay rows of squid skewers; under the middle-aged owner's spatula, they sizzled with a rich, savory aroma.
"Is this the place you were talking about?" Xu Zihuang stroked his forehead, deliberately emphasizing the words "the place."
Ke Ke turned around with a righteous expression.
"What's the rush? It's rare to come out, of course, we have to enjoy Mingdu properly."
Then she smiled at the honest middle-aged owner, revealing two cute little canine teeth.
"Boss, two grilled squid please!"
"Coming right up! Please wait a moment, young lady and gentleman." Seeing the extraordinary temperament of the pair, the middle-aged owner quickly replied and began working deftly.
Soul masters with soul power and ordinary people could be distinguished just by their spirit and energy. Moreover, both Xu Zihuang and Ke Ke wore rings that resembled storage soul tools on their hands, making the owner even more certain that they were soul masters, or even soul engineers.
In the Sun Moon Empire, the status of soul engineers had always been extremely prestigious.
The grilled squid was already almost done; after sprinkling some seasonings, they were wrapped in oil paper and handed over.
Ke Ke happily took the two portions, shrugged, and said, "I don't have a single copper soul coin on me right now. You figure it out."
Xu Zihuang had no desire to develop that kind of relationship with Ke Ke. She couldn't bring him any benefits and would only add trouble.
But he also wouldn't embarrass her in public with low emotional intelligence; instead, he decided to find an appropriate moment later to state it clearly. After all, over the past six months, Ke Ke had taken good care of him.
"No need for change." Xu Zihuang took out a shining gold soul coin from his storage soul tool and placed it on the cart, then continued following behind Ke Ke.
Ke Ke narrowed her eyes in satisfaction as she enjoyed the oily grilled squid, handing the other portion to Xu Zihuang.
"Here."
Xu Zihuang had no choice but to accept it.
After that, the two truly strolled, even having lunch at a restaurant—of course, Xu Zihuang paid.
Ke Ke said that after selling the soul tools later, she would treat him in the evening.
Only in the afternoon did Ke Ke finally bring him to their original destination.
The Aodu Auction House.
From the name alone, one could tell that this Aodu Auction House was connected to the Aodu Merchant Association, and indeed it was.
Not all underground forces hid completely in the shadows. This Aodu Auction House was the public face of the Aodu Merchant Association. The Sunset Water Alliance and the ordinary alliances also had similar public businesses.
It was just that some of their private dealings couldn't see the light of day.
This Aodu Auction House was one of the largest auction houses in all of Mingdu, occupying an entire building.
When Ke Ke stated that they were from Mingde Hall of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, the attendants respectfully invited them into a private VIP room.
In the Sun Moon Empire, the prestige of Mingde Hall was immense. Anyone able to study in Mingde Hall was at least a class-5 soul engineer, and graduates were talents eagerly sought after by every faction. Receiving such treatment was perfectly normal.
Soul guide lamps on the ceiling emitted soft light in the luxurious VIP room. On the crystal table were placed eight soul tools of various types.
These were all recently made by Ke Ke. Their level wasn't high, all class-3, but together, the eight class-3 soul tools were worth nearly 100,000 gold soul coins.
A middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, who looked like a manager, put down the class-3 soul cannon in his hand and said respectfully to Ke Ke, "We at Aodu Auction House are willing to purchase these eight class-3 soul tools for 100,000 gold soul coins. What do you think, esteemed guest?"
"That works." Ke Ke nodded readily. The price actually exceeded her own estimate.
The manager respectfully presented a purple-gold card worth 100,000 gold soul coins with both hands.
Ke Ke put away the card and looked at Xu Zihuang beside her.
Understanding, Xu Zihuang tossed a crystal-yellow bracelet to the manager.
"This is the item I wish to sell: a class-5 Invincible Barrier defensive soul tool. Additionally, I need one Secret Technique Soul Bone with fusion properties. Preferably from a wolf-type soul beast."
The manager carefully examined the class-5 Invincible Barrier, his face filled with shock.
He could not find even the slightest flaw in this Invincible Barrier. A barrier of this quality would definitely be fiercely contested if put up for auction.
Even his voice became somewhat shrill from excitement.
"Honored guest, I will arrange it for you immediately. However, I cannot guarantee the quality of the Secret Technique Soul Bones in our stock, more refund or less supplement, is that acceptable?"
"Price is not an issue."
Xu Zihuang nodded slightly.
The manager's expression changed once more as he quickly left the VIP room.
He returned in less than a quarter of an hour. When he re-entered, a waitress followed behind him carrying a tray with a sealed metal box on it.
The manager personally opened the metal box, revealing a small soul bone to everyone's eyes.
It was a left leg soul bone, pitch-black throughout. Yet the soul power fluctuations it emitted were even weaker than the two-thousand-year soul bones Xu Zihuang possessed.
"This is a Secret Technique of Speed Left Leg Bone. For any soul beast, if one hundred of them are killed within half an hour and the secret method is used to draw it out, there is a ten percent chance of obtaining a Secret Technique Soul Bone. However, Secret Technique Soul Bones have a limitation: the attached soul skill is always a basic enhancement-type skill. I believe the honored guest is already aware of this. This Secret of Speed Left Leg Bone comes from a soul beast called the Shadow Demon Wolf. As the name suggests, the soul skill it provides is a speed enhancement of roughly twenty percent. The Shadow Demon Wolf is a darkness-attribute soul beast, and it does possess the fusion property you require."
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